ENGLISH
REFERENCE

graceful degradation

idiom
Meaning

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


Examples
SIMPLE

The website uses graceful degradation to stay online during server errors.

CONTEXTUAL

Our software is designed for graceful degradation, so users can still read files even if the editing tools fail.

COMPLEX

By prioritizing graceful degradation, the engineers ensured that the navigation system remained partially functional even after the primary satellite link suffered a critical failure.

Anchors to

© 2026 English Reference