degrading

/di'greidiɳ/

Thân thiện

A manager speaks to an employee in a degrading manner during a meeting.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Causing a loss of respect or dignity; humiliating: Describing actions, situations, or treatment that lower someone's status, self-esteem, or moral standing.
   • Harmful to character or morals; corrupting: Describing influences or environments that lead to a decline in moral standards or ethical behavior.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The prisoners were subjected to degrading treatment. (The prisoners experienced treatment intended to humiliate them and strip them of dignity.)
  • Living in such poverty can be a degrading experience. (The condition of extreme poverty can cause a profound loss of self-respect.)
  • The film was criticized for its degrading portrayal of women. (The film was faulted for depicting women in a way that diminishes their worth and respectability.)

Advanced Usage

• "found it degrading to...": Used to express a personal feeling of humiliation from a specific action.
  • She found it degrading to have to ask for money. (She personally felt humiliated by the necessity of requesting financial help.)
• In a social or systemic context: Often used to critique policies, practices, or language that dehumanizes groups of people.
  • The use of racial slurs is a degrading act. (Using such language is an action intended to demean and disrespect an entire racial group.)

Variants and Related Words

• Degrade (verb): To lower in dignity, status, or quality.
  • Pollution can degrade the environment.
• Degradation (noun): The process or state of being degraded.
  • The degradation of the old neighborhood was sad to see.
• Degraded (adjective): Having been lowered in character or quality.
  • He felt like a degraded version of his former self.

Synonyms

• Debasing: Lowering in quality, value, or character.
• Humiliating: Causing someone to feel ashamed and foolish.
• Demeaning: Causing someone to lose dignity or respect.
• Corrupting: Causing someone to become morally depraved.

Antonyms

• Dignifying: Conferring dignity or honor upon.
• Elevating: Raising to a higher moral, intellectual, or cultural level.
• Honorable: Deserving respect and admiration.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• A degrading spectacle: An event or situation that is shameful or humiliating to witness.
  • The public argument was a degrading spectacle for everyone involved.
• To sink to a degrading level: To behave in a way that is far beneath one's usual standards of conduct.
  • I never thought he would sink to such a degrading level of personal attacks.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. used of conduct; characterized by dishonor
2. harmful to the mind or morals
   • corrupt judges and their corrupting influence
   • the vicious and degrading cult of violence

Từ đồng nghĩa

• debasing
• corrupting