Downcycle

Quick meaning: Downcycle is a verb meaning (transitive) To convert (waste materials, etc.) into new materials or products of lower quality and reduced functionality.

Meaning

(transitive) To convert (waste materials, etc.) into new materials or products of lower quality and reduced functionality.

More Meanings

1. A period of a cycle where something is decreasing or deteriorating.

Example Sentences

Again, the current down cycle is anomalous, with the Fed's monetary policies encouraging unusually high levels of stock buybacks and fruitless mergers.

Because commodity industries, including energy, are driven by costs, a pricing down-cycle brings major cost cutting efforts, often involving restructurings and consolidations to increase economies of scale.

[M]ost experts agree that a downcycle is in progress and are expecting demand from emerging countries and regions such as India, South-East Asia and even Africa, to eventually rebound to the point where it once again outstrips supply.

Nike set up a "Reuse-a-Shoe" program to "downcycle" old sneakers. The outsole rubber and midsole foam from used shoes are converted into surface material for running tracks and other athletic facilities and playgrounds. The fabric from the shoe uppers becomes padding under carpets.

Word Forms

• downcycles
• downcycling
• downcycled
• down-cycle

Antonyms for downcycle

Common opposites include upcycle.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include trashify, downshift, degrade, reduce, downmarket, downconvert.

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