I. pronunc at degrade I+ə̇d adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from past participle of degraden
1. : reduced far below ordinary standards of civilized life and conduct:
a. : marked by poverty, helplessness, and apathy
dirty, wild, and degraded as only the worst slaves of antiquity had been — Lewis Mumford
b. : marked by indulgence in vice or debauchery : debased
he so deplorably dissipated and degraded , and they so bloomy and idyllic — E.V.Lucas
c. : fallen far below genuine quality : contaminated, distorted , vulgarized
the writer … who suffers from what he is bound to consider the degraded and irresponsible taste of his time — New Yorker
2. : characterized by degeneration of structure or function
3. of a color : not saturated to the practical maximum
• de·grad·ed·ly adverb
• de·grad·ed·ness noun -es
II. adjective
Etymology: de- + Latin grad us + English -ed
heraldry : standing on steps — used of a cross; compare degree 1b