3 syllables: de, grad, ing. Stress on grad.
/dɪˈɡreɪdɪŋ/
Say it backDegrading is the process or act of lowering someone’s dignity, status, or worth. It can describe treatment that humiliates or demeans, or a substance causing decay. In a broader sense, it also refers to a decline or erosion of quality over time. The term often carries a negative, judgmental connotation in social or moral contexts.
"The supervisor spoke in a degrading tone, making the employee feel worthless."
"Exposure to harsh conditions is degrading to one’s health and morale."
"The film portrays the character’s degrading experiences at the hands of his peers."
Pronounce it as di-GRAY-ding with secondary stress on the second syllable. IPA US/UK/AU: /dɪˈɡreɪ.dɪŋ/. Start with a short /d/, then the unstressed /ɪ/ before the stressed /ˈɡreɪ/ syllable, ending with /dɪŋ/. Keep the /ɡ/ soft, and finish with a clear /ɪŋ/.
Common errors include misplacing the primary stress on the first syllable (di-GRAY-ding instead of di-GRAY-ding correctly) and running the /dɪŋ/ into a quick /ŋ/ without a light /d/ before it. Another mistake is pronouncing /reɪ/ too short or as /riː/; keep it as the mid-length /reɪ/. Practice by isolating the /ˈɡreɪ/ chunk and ensuring the /d/ before the final /ɪŋ/ lands clearly.
US: /dɪˈɡreɪ.dɪŋ/, rhotics present, clear /ɡreɪ/ with typical American flapped or full /d/ in cluster. UK: /dɪˈɡreɪ.dɪŋ/, non-rhotic? typically non-rhotic but in some accents the /r/ is not pronounced; the /d/ is crisp. AU: /dɪˈɡreɪ.dɪŋ/, tends to be less vowel reduction in unstressed vowel and a slightly tighter /ɪ/ before /ŋ/. Overall, stress remains on the second syllable; vowel quality of /eɪ/ remains a diphthong in all.
Two main challenges: the diphthong /eɪ/ in the stressed syllable and the final -ing cluster /dɪŋ/ after a hard consonant. The transition from the stressed /ɡreɪ/ to the /dɪŋ/ requires smooth timing; beginners often insert an extra vowel or glottal stop. Practicing with slowed tempo helps you align the mouth positions: start with /dɪ/ then quickly glide into /ˈɡreɪ/ before finishing with /dɪŋ/.
A distinctive aspect is the two-syllable onset in the second syllable’s digraph sequence: /g/ + /reɪ/. The /ɡ/ is a hard plosive that requires firm contact with the roof of the mouth, followed by a clear /reɪ/ vowel. You should avoid inserting extra vowels between the /ɡ/ and /r/ or between /eɪ/ and /dɪŋ/. Emphasize the transition from the syllable nucleus to the following onset cleanly.
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Degrading comes from the verb degrade, which itself derives from the Latin degradare, de- (down, away) + gravis (heavy, serious, grave). The sense expanded from ‘to reduce in rank or status’ to include ‘to lower in moral or social standing.’ In Middle English, degrade appeared in the sense of lowering dignity, while degrade as a physical metaphor of decay emerged through the idea of breaking down materials or moral qualities. The prefix de- signals removal, reversal, or downward direction across Romance languages, with cognates in French degrader and Spanish degradar. The modern English sense of “reducing worth or decaying” formed through the combination of moral connotations and material decay, intensifying in the 19th and 20th centuries as social critique popularized terms like “degrading treatment” and “degradation.” First known uses appear in legal and religious texts where the term described loss of dignity, evolving to secular usage in human-rights discourse and everyday critique. The word maintains both abstract moral dimensions and tangible physical connotations, making it versatile in evaluative language about people, conditions, or processes.
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Words that rhyme with "degrading"
-ing sounds
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