Definition of degradation

• n. - The act of reducing in rank, character, or reputation, or of abasing; a lowering from one's standing or rank in office or society; diminution; as, the degradation of a peer, a knight, a general, or a bishop.
• n. - The state of being reduced in rank, character, or reputation; baseness; moral, physical, or intellectual degeneracy; disgrace; abasement; debasement.
• n. - Diminution or reduction of strength, efficacy, or value; degeneration; deterioration.
• n. - A gradual wearing down or wasting, as of rocks and banks, by the action of water, frost etc.
• n. - The state or condition of a species or group which exhibits degraded forms; degeneration.
• n. - Arrest of development, or degeneration of any organ, or of the body as a whole.