degrade

劣化する、劣化させる

質が悪くなる、または質を悪くする。

やさしい英語で： To become worse in quality, or make something worse in quality.

• Sunlight degrades this material.
• The sample degraded during storage.
• Pollution can degrade the quality of drinking water.

類義語： deteriorate, damage

反対語： improve

よく使う表現： degrade over time, degrade the soil

辱める、おとしめる

人を価値のない者として扱い、尊厳を傷つける。

やさしい英語で： To treat someone as worthless or make them lose respect.

• Such insults degrade people.
• The prisoners were degraded by cruel treatment.
• She refused to degrade herself to please him.

類義語： humiliate, demean, debase

反対語： dignify

よく使う表現： degrade someone, degrade yourself

格下げする、地位を下げる

人の社会的な地位や周囲からの評価を下げる。

やさしい英語で： To reduce someone’s social position or the value others give them.

• His behavior degraded his social standing.
• The ruling degraded them to a lower class.
• She felt degraded by her loss of status.

類義語： demote, lower, debase

反対語： elevate

よく使う表現： degrade someone, degrade yourself