degradation •\ˌde-grə-ˈda-shən\• noun 1. changing to a lower state (a less respected state) 2. a low or downcast state The word degradation has appeared in 208 New York Times articles in the past year, including on July 29 in "A Plan to Save Yosemite by Curbing Its Visitors" by Norimitsu Onishi: The National Park Service is proposing a significant makeover of Yosemite National Park that would change the way future generations of visitors experienced the park, especially the seven-mile-long Yosemite Valley at its heart. The Park Service's plan would restore more than 200 acres of meadows, reorganize transportation and reduce traffic congestion. To shrink the human presence along the Merced River, park officials are also proposing closing nearby rental facilities for bicycling, horseback riding and rafting, and removing swimming pools, an ice rink and a stone bridge. ... Scott Gediman, a spokesman for Yosemite, said the current plan incorporated more scientific analysis and public input than the two previous ones. In the public comment period after the release of the plan in January, he said, the Park Service has held 60 public meetings and received 30,000 comments, two-thirds of which supported the plan. The final plan must satisfy the 2008 federal appeals court ruling, which pointed specifically to the commercial services near the Merced as contributing to "the level of degradation already experienced in the Merced." Learn more about the word "degradation" and see usage examples across a range of subjects on the Vocabulary dictionary.