Definition of "degradation"

degradation

/ˌdɛɡɹəˈdeɪʃən/

noun
countable and uncountable, plural degradations
1. The act of reducing in rank, character, or reputation, or of abasing; a lowering from one's standing or rank in office or society
  Quotations
  This feature of good organization, the conferring of definite local superior rank, and the protection of the incumbent from unnecessary degradation, was discovered centuries ago by another effective institution, the Catholic church.
  1912, Charles DeLano Hine, Letters from an old railway official: Letter 7
2. The state of being reduced in rank, character, or reputation; baseness; moral, physical, or intellectual degeneracy; disgrace; abasement; debasement.
  Quotations
  Money is the great breaker-up of love and friendship; and this is, I believe, the reason of the common saying, that "large families get on best in the world," because they can receive from each other assistance without degradation.
  1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Different Views of Life”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], page 112
3. Diminution or reduction of strength, efficacy, or value; degeneration; deterioration.
4. (geology) A gradual wearing down or wasting, as of rocks and banks, by the action of water, frost etc.
  Quotations
  Overexploitation of land for fuelwood is a further cause of soil degradation in Africa, Asia and South America
  2017, Nigel Woodcock, Geology and Environment In Britain and Ireland
5. A deleterious change in the chemical structure, physical properties or appearance of a material from natural or artificial exposure.
6. The state or condition of a species or group which exhibits degraded forms; degeneration.
7. Arrest of development, or degeneration of any organ, or of the body as a whole.
8. The gradual breakdown of components of a material, as a result of a natural element, i.e.: heat, cold and wind.