degrade

S2 W2

BrE /dɪˈɡreɪd/ AmE /dɪˈɡred/

verb en → es

past degraded pp degraded ing degrading

1 REDUCE QUALITY [transitive] B1

to make something worse in quality or condition; to cause damage to something

dañar, deteriorar, degradar

  • degrade sth

Collocations degrade the environment · degrade a product

  • The company's reputation was degraded by recent scandals.

    La reputación de la empresa se dañó por los escándalos recientes.

2 LOWER STATUS [transitive] B2

to reduce someone's status or position; to treat someone in a way that is not respectful

degradar, humillar, menospreciar

  • degrade sb

Collocations degrade a person's status · degrade someone's dignity

  • The soldiers were degraded by their superiors.

    Los soldados fueron humillados por sus superiores.

3 CHEMICAL CHANGE [transitive] C1

to change the chemical structure of a substance; to break down or destroy something chemically

degradar químicamente, descomponer, romper

  • degrade sth

Collocations degrade a material · degrade a substance

  • The plastic degrades when exposed to sunlight.

    El plástico se descompone cuando está expuesto al sol.

4 REDUCE RESOLUTION [transitive] C1

to reduce the quality or resolution of an image, video, or sound recording; to make something less clear or detailed

reducir la calidad, degradar digitalmente, empeorar

  • degrade sth

Collocations degrade an image · degrade a video recording

  • The picture was degraded when it was compressed.

    La imagen se redujo en calidad cuando fue comprimida.