# degrade gracefully

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/degrade-gracefully
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Of a system: to maintain at least some of its functionality when portions are not working, or when certain features are not available.

## Examples

- The app will degrade gracefully if the internet connection is slow.
- Our website is designed to degrade gracefully, so users can still read text even if the images fail to load.
- The software architecture ensures that the system can degrade gracefully, maintaining core operations even when critical hardware components suffer unexpected failures.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.