⬇️ Made worse 😔 Lost morals

degraded

5 5.5

Behaving in a way that ignores moral rules

adjective
/dɪˈɡreɪdɪd/

: degradado

The scandal revealed that the politician had degraded himself by accepting bribes.

Examples

Deep moralisms about the dignity of human life being degraded by commercialism.
Many people worry that the environment is being degraded by pollution.
Some believe that social media has degraded the quality of public discourse.

Synonyms

depraved

vsdegraded

Formal

44 7.8

Very bad and cruel in the way someone behaves

is a more general loss of moral restraint rather than extreme wickedness

degenerate

vsdegraded

Offensive

26 8.0

Not following normal moral rules and behaving badly

is about lacking restraint now rather than a long decline

fast

vsdegraded

Offensive

19 7.7

Behaving in a way that ignores social rules about sex

is broader, lacking proper moral standards beyond social convention

profligate

vsdegraded

Formal

7 9.6

Spends money or uses resources wastefully and shows little care about right and wrong

is focused on moral failing rather than primarily on wasteful behavior

debased

vsdegraded

5 7.0

Made worse in quality, value, or moral standards

is mainly about lost restraint rather than reduced overall quality

debauched

vsdegraded

NSFW

4 8.7

Living in a way that enjoys a lot of sex and other pleasures without caring what is right

covers general loss of restraint, not only pleasure-seeking excess

dissolute

vsdegraded

Formal

2 8.8

A person who lives in a wild way and ignores rules about right and wrong

is similar but may include private or less visible lapses

libertine

vsdegraded

NSFW

2 9.6

Showing no concern for moral rules, especially about sex

is the general lack of moral standards, not a personal label

defiled

vsdegraded

2 8.4

Made morally dirty, especially a place or thing people respect

is the broader state of lacking proper moral standards rather than a stain

riotous

vsdegraded

1 7.5

Behaving in a wild way that breaks social rules

is about lacking moral standards rather than just wild behaviour

dissipated

vsdegraded

1 8.6

A person who spends health and money on pleasure without self control

is wider, covering any failure in proper moral behaviour

Antonyms

noble

318 3.6

Having high moral qualities and kind intentions

virtuous

23 4.3

Being morally good and doing what is right

How Immoral

depraved

Formal

44 7.8

corrupt

298 4.4

degraded

5 5.5

unprincipled

Offensive

8 6.6

improper

93 4.1

Surface Forms

degraded positive

Morphology

degraded = degrade (semi-transparent) = de + grade + ed

This adjective is formed in the usual way from the verb 'degrade' and means 'having been morally degraded'.

Etymology

Degraded comes from the parts de- 'down' and grade 'step' or 'level', like falling down a set of steps. So when we call behaviour or a person degraded, we mean they have fallen to a lower moral level.