degradare

to degrade, to demote

verb deh-grah-DAH-reh Rare

Also means

to deteriorate

Usage Note

Degradare takes avere when transitive (to demote someone, to degrade a material) and essere or avere reflexively when intransitive (the material si degrada = deteriorates). It is used in environmental contexts (degradare l'ambiente) and in military/bureaucratic contexts for demotion.

Examples

"L'umidità può degradare il materiale."

Natural Translation

Moisture can degrade the material.

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