😞 Humiliating 💔 Damaging 🧬 Breaking down

degradative

8.3

Causing materials to break down into smaller parts

adjective
/dɪˈɡrædəˌtɪv/

Specialized

: degradativo

So if you have arthritis, you have degradative enzymes in the joint that are breaking down your tissues.

Examples

The researcher studied the degradative effects of pollution on marine life in the laboratory.
The chemicals in the soil had a degradative impact on the surrounding vegetation, causing it to wither.
Certain bacteria are known for their degradative abilities, breaking down organic matter in compost.

Synonyms

corrosive

vsdegradative

Specialized

14 6.6

Able to eat away materials by a chemical reaction, for example strong acids

covers any breakdown causing decomposition, not only chemical eating away

erosive

vsdegradative

1 6.4

A thing that slowly wears something away by wind, water, or chemicals

is about causing breakdown generally rather than slow surface wearing only

catabolic

vsdegradative

Specialized

1 8.8

The body breaks down large molecules into smaller ones to release energy

is general breakdown or decomposition of substances, not limited to biology

disintegrative

vsdegradative

1 8.7

Causing things to break into smaller parts

focuses on chemical or general breakdown of substances rather than physical breakup

decompositional

vsdegradative

Specialized

8.5

Causing or relating to the breaking down of dead plants and animals into soil nutrients

is broader, covering breakdown of substances beyond only organic decay

mordant

vsdegradative

Specialized

9.9

Able to eat away materials by chemical action like a strong acid

is the general idea of causing breakdown, not specifically strong acids

destructive-metabolic

vsdegradative

8.6

Breaking down large molecules in the body into smaller parts to release energy

is broader, applying to breakdown of substances in any context

How Degradable

degradative

Specialized

8.3

biodegradable

Specialized

15 4.6

degradable

Specialized

1 4.4

nonbiodegradable

1 5.2

Surface Forms

degradative positive

Morphology

degradative = degrade (semi-transparent) = de + grade + ative

Formed from 'degrade' with a standard adjectival suffix, but the specialized technical sense 'causing chemical breakdown' may be less obvious to learners unfamiliar with scientific usage.

Etymology

Degradative comes from the parts de- 'down' and grade 'step', the same root as grade. So degradative processes 'step things down' into smaller or simpler parts, which is why the word is used for breaking down or decomposition of substances.