downgrade

1 of 2

noun

down·​grade ˈdau̇n-ˌgrād 

1

: a downward grade (as of a road)

2

: a descent toward an inferior state

a career on the downgrade

downgrade

2 of 2

verb

downgraded; downgrading; downgrades

transitive verb

1

: to lower in quality, value, status, or extent

2

: minimize, depreciate

Synonyms

Noun

• decadence
• declension
• declination
• decline
• degeneracy
• degeneration
• degradation
• dégringolade
• descent
• deterioration
• devolution
• downfall
• ebb
• eclipse
• fall

Verb

• break
• bust
• degrade
• demote
• disrate
• reduce

Examples of downgrade in a Sentence

Noun

a downgrade in the company's stock prices

a singing career on the downgrade

Verb

The restaurant was downgraded from three to two stars.

She didn't intend to downgrade the importance of her colleague's work.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The provision for credit losses was $3.6 million, compared to $1.6 million in the same quarter of the previous year, reflecting significant loan growth and a single relationship downgrade. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024

That is the amount Boeing raised from a stock offering on Monday to avoid a credit rating downgrade. —Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Verb

The Eagles announced that Brown was downgraded to out. —David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024

August's additions were downgraded from 159,000 to 78,000, and September's from 254,000 to 223,000. —Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

downgrade

1 of 2 noun

down·​grade -ˌgrād 

1

: a downward slope

2

: a lowering toward a worse condition

a neighborhood on the downgrade

downgrade adverb

downgrade

2 of 2 verb

: to lower in grade, rank, or standing