Degradation
Part of speech: noun
Definition: 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. The state of being reduced in rank, character, or reputation; baseness; moral, physical, or intellectual degeneracy; disgrace; abasement; debasement. Diminution or reduction of strength, efficacy, or value; degeneration; deterioration. A gradual wearing down or wasting, as of rocks and banks, by the action of water, frost etc. A deleterious change in the chemical structure, physical properties or appearance of a material from natural or artificial exposure. The state or condition of a species or group which exhibits degraded forms; degeneration. Arrest of development, or degeneration of any organ, or of the body as a whole. The gradual breakdown of components of a material, as a result of a natural element, i.e.: heat, cold and wind.
Example sentence: So long as the most vulnerable people in our population are consigned to places that the rest of us will always shun and flee and view with fear, I am afraid that educational denial, medical and economic devastation, and aesthetic degradation will be inevitable.
Abasement
Part of speech: noun
Definition: The act of abasing, humbling, or bringing low; the state of being abased or humbled; humiliation.