Question

degrade They had feared for years that television was degrading the mental capacities of their children. dɪˈgreɪd

Accepted Answer

(1) To treat someone or something poorly and without respect. (2) To make the quality of something worse. In Shakespeare's King Lear, the old king is degraded by the daughters he has given his kingdom to. He finds it degrading, for instance, when the number of his guards is reduced from 100 to 25. His degradation seems complete when, after going mad, he's reduced to living in the wilderness. As you can see, degrade is often a synonym for humiliate

word	degrade
definition	(1) To treat someone or something poorly and without respect. (2) To make the quality of something worse.
eg_sentence	They had feared for years that television was degrading the mental capacities of their children.
explanation	In Shakespeare's King Lear, the old king is degraded by the daughters he has given his kingdom to. He finds it degrading, for instance, when the number of his guards is reduced from 100 to 25. His degradation seems complete when, after going mad, he's reduced to living in the wilderness. As you can see, degrade is often a synonym for humiliate
IPA	dɪˈgreɪd

Degrade King Reduced Treat Poorly Respect Make Quality