This is the 9554th most frequent French word.
dégradé
A gradual transition between colors or shades.
In this sentence, 'dégradé' refers to a gradual transition of colors, often seen in artistic or visual contexts.
Le ciel présente un beau dégradé de couleurs au coucher du soleil.
The sky displays a beautiful gradient of colors at sunset.
Here, 'dégradé' is used as a verb (past participle) meaning to make something worse or deteriorate, applied metaphorically to the situation.
Son comportement a dégradé la situation déjà tendue.
His behavior worsened the already tense situation.
In this case, 'dégradé' describes a stylistic effect in decoration where colors blend progressively into each other.