downgrade

views updated May 14 2018

down·grade / ˈdounˌgrād/ • v. [tr.] (usu. be downgraded) reduce to a lower grade, rank, or level of importance: some jobs had gradually been downgraded from skilled to semiskilled.• n. 1. an instance of reducing someone or something's rank, status, or level of importance.2. a downward gradient, typically on a railroad track or road.PHRASES: on the downgrade in decline: profits are on the downgrade.

More From encyclopedia.com