downgrade

American  

[doun-greyd] / ˈdaʊnˌgreɪd /

noun

1. a downward slope, especially of a road.

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adjective

1. downhill.

verb (used with object)

downgraded, downgrading

1. to assign to a lower status with a smaller salary.

2. to minimize the importance of; denigrate.

   She tried to downgrade the findings of the investigation.

3. to assign a lower security classification to (information, a document, etc.).

idioms

1. on the downgrade, in a decline toward an inferior state or position.

   His career has been on the downgrade.

downgrade British  

/ ˈdaʊnˌɡreɪd /

verb

1. to reduce in importance, esteem, or value, esp to demote (a person) to a poorer job

2. to speak of disparagingly

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noun

1. a downward slope, esp in a road

2. waning in importance, popularity, health, etc

Other Word Forms

• downgrader noun

Etymology

Origin of downgrade

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; down ¹ + grade

Example Sentences

That has enabled the company to keep customers who might cancel a higher-priced package but now are more likely to just downgrade their subscription.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

With Bhatia’s downgrade, there are as many analysts with neutral-equivalent ratings on Adobe’s stock as there are with buy-equivalent ratings, according to FactSet data.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Eli Lilly falls following a downgrade to Reduce from Hold at HSBC, with analyst Rajesh Kumar citing pricing competition.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

Novo Nordisk on Tuesday received a broker downgrade, with the analysts arguing that its status as a duopoly in both diabetes and weight loss are under threat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

“And you’ve changed your team. Interesting. Is this a downgrade or an upgrade, young Tristan?”

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Related Words

• degrade
• demote
• devalue
• reduce
• undervalue