Spell Bee Word: degradation

Basic Details

Word: Degradation

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: The process of something becoming worse or weaker, such as land or the environment; also the act of treating someone with less respect.

Synonyms: deterioration, decline, damage, humiliation

Antonyms: improvement, restoration

How to Spell Degradation

Syllables: deg - ra - da - tion

Tricky part: After degr the vowel is a, not e: degrade gives degradation. The t is single.

Watch out for: degredation, degradasion, digradation

Memory tip: Degradation is built on grade: de + grade, then drop the e and add ation. The a of grade never changes.

Usage Examples

Example 1: Cutting down forests leads to the degradation of soil.

Example 2: The documentary showed the degradation of coral reefs.

Example 3: Plastic waste is a major cause of ocean degradation.

Fun Fact

When grass is overgrazed by too many animals, the bare soil can be blown or washed away, which is one common cause of land degradation.

Practise the CREST Way

Word Connection

Choose the antonym of the word: degradation

a) improvement
b) ruin
c) decline
d) damage

Spell-o-Spell

Choose the incorrectly spelt word:

a) deforestation
b) erosion
c) degredation
d) pollution

Word Cookie

Find the extra letter in the word:

degradattion

a) g
b) a
c) t
d) d

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Environmental degradation means the environment is ____.

a) getting cleaner
b) getting worse
c) being painted
d) staying the same

2. Which of these causes land degradation?

a) cutting down all the trees on a hillside
b) building a check dam
c) adding compost to a field
d) planting grass on bare soil