downgrade

[doun-greyd] / ˈdaʊnˌgreɪd /

NOUN

slope

Synonyms

STRONG

decline declivity descent dip hill inclination pitch

Antonyms

STRONG

ascent improvement increase rise

WEAK

upgrade

VERB

lower in opinion or rank

Synonyms

STRONGEST

degrade demote devalue reduce undervalue

STRONG

abase bench break bump bust decrease decry demerit denigrate depreciate disparage humble minimize

WEAK

declass detract from devalorize disrate mark down run down set back take down a peg write off

Antonyms

STRONGEST

increase overvalue promote raise upgrade

STRONG

approve cherish commend compliment enlarge exalt fix laud mend overrate praise

WEAK

improve

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Stock analysts may be slow to start issuing downgrades because of the uncertain geopolitical situation.

From Barron's

A previous version of this article incorrectly said they were downgraded to Market Perform.

From Barron's

German investor confidence also plunged in March, following downgrades to global growth expectations for 2026.

From The Wall Street Journal

The agency said it expected some "probable cases" to be downgraded in the coming days.

From BBC

Along with the downgrade to BB+ from BBB-, Fitch placed Paramount on rating watch negative earlier this month.

From Barron's