downgrade

1 of 2

noun

down·​grade ˈdau̇n-ˌgrād How to pronounce downgrade (audio)
Synonyms of downgradenext
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 of downgrade

Relevance

Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
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Noun
That downgrade threatened to pull as much as $13 billion in passive investment flows from the country. — Jay Ganglani, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 Oracle's stock has lost over one-third of its value this year, and now the company faces risks of a credit rating downgrade. — Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
Following the report, Bank of America downgraded Intel to neutral from buy. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026 All summer long, the International Energy Agency consistently downgraded its energy outlook. — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for downgrade

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of downgrade was in 1847

Rhymes for downgrade

See All Rhymes for downgrade

Browse Nearby Words

downgone
downgrade
down-gyved
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Downgrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downgrade. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

downgrade

1 of 2 noun
down·​grade -ˌgrād How to pronounce downgrade (audio)
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
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