Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The act or process of degrading.
- noun The state of being degraded; degeneration.
- noun A decline to a lower condition, quality, or level.
- noun Geology A general lowering of the earth's surface by erosion or weathering.
- noun Chemistry Decomposition of a compound, especially complex substances such as polymers and proteins, by stages, exhibiting well-defined intermediate products.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In organic chemistry, the resolution of the molecule of a compound into other substances of smaller molecular weight.
- noun A reducing in rank; the act of depriving one of a degree of honor, of dignity, or of rank; deposition, removal, or dismissal from rank or office: as, the degradation of a general.
- noun The state of being reduced from a higher to a lower grade of power, character, or estimation; degeneracy; debasement.
- noun The act of sinking to a lower level in space.
- noun Diminution or reduction, as of strength, value, altitude, or magnitude.
- noun In painting, a lessening and obscuring of distant objects in a landscape, to give the effect of distance.
- noun In geology, the reduction or wearing down of higher lands, rocks, strata, etc., by the action of water or other causes.
- noun In biology, abortive structural development; retrograde metamorphosis, such as that witnessed in many parasites as a result of their parasitism.
- noun In botany, a change consisting of abstraction, loss, abortion, or non-development of usual organs.
- noun In heraldry, same as
abatement .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The act of reducing in rank, character, or reputation, or of abasing; a lowering from one's standing or rank in office or society; diminution.
- noun The state of being reduced in rank, character, or reputation; baseness; moral, physical, or intellectual degeneracy; disgrace; abasement; debasement.
- noun Diminution or reduction of strength, efficacy, or value; degeneration; deterioration.
- noun (Geol.) A gradual wearing down or wasting, as of rocks and banks, by the action of water, frost etc.
- noun (Biol.) The state or condition of a species or group which exhibits degraded forms; degeneration.
- noun (Physiol.) Arrest of development, or degeneration of any organ, or of the body as a whole.
- noun (Physics) the transformation of energy into some form in which it is less available for doing work.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The act of reducing in
rank ,character , orreputation , or ofabasing ; a lowering from one's standing or rank in office or society;diminution ; as, the degradation of a peer, a knight, a general, or a bishop. - noun The state of being reduced in rank, character, or reputation;
baseness ; moral, physical, or intellectualdegeneracy ;disgrace ;abasement ;debasement . - noun Diminution or reduction of strength, efficacy, or value;
degeneration ;deterioration . - noun geology A gradual wearing down or wasting, as of rocks and banks, by the action of water, frost etc.
- noun A
deleterious change in the chemical structure, physical properties or appearance of a material from natural or artificial exposure. - noun The state or condition of a species or group which exhibits degraded forms; degeneration.
- noun Arrest of development, or degeneration of any organ, or of the body as a whole.
- noun The gradual breakdown of components of a material, as a result of a natural element, i.e.: heat, cold and wind.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a low or downcast state
- noun changing to a lower state (a less respected state)
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word degradation.
Examples
-
Protein degradation is a major cause of ageing and can be the result of attacks on proteins by other molecules.
April 1st, 2007 2007
-
It was first believed that controlled protein degradation is used only to destroy faulty proteins, which may otherwise damage the cell.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2004 - Presentation Speech 2004
-
Periodic protein degradation is an important general control mechanism of the cell cycle.
-
Periodic protein degradation is an important control mechanism of the cell cycle.
-
Dopamine and serotonin levels rise in the CNS and heart because their degradation is also slow. 1
-
Do not unite yourself to the suite of a man whom you may consider as the primary cause of what you call a degradation, with unpleasant sensations.
George Washington Lodge, Henry Cabot 1889
-
Do not unite yourself to the suite of a man whom you may consider as the primary cause of what you call a degradation, with unpleasant sensations.
Washington and the American Republic, Vol. 3. Benson John Lossing 1852
-
There was a real battle fought by working people in England and the U.S. to defend themselves against what they called the degradation and oppression and violence of the industrial capitalist system, which was not only dehumanizing them but was even radically reducing their intellectual level.
Signs of the Times 2009
-
There was a real battle fought by working people in England and the U.S. to defend themselves against what they called the degradation and oppression and violence of the industrial capitalist system, which was not only dehumanizing them but was even radically reducing their intellectual level.
Signs of the Times 2009
-
Do you have any idea how much environmental degradation is involved in industrial soy, wheat, rice, leafy greens and other non-animal food products?
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.