In meteorology, downgrading refers to official reduction in a storms intensity.

An example of a downgraded program is Gmax, a downgraded version of 3ds max used by professional computer graphics artists, simplified for ease of use.

In business and economics, downgrade is often used in the stock market to refer to an analyst’s negative change in rating of a stock or other security (e.g. from ‘buy’ to ‘sell’.)

In computer software, downgrading refers to reverting software back to an older version. Often, complex programs may need to be downgraded to remove unused or bugged features, and to increase speed and/or ease of use.

With machinery. Downgrading is a common practice during wartime, when money and materials are in short supply. A good example of a downgraded wartime machine is the German steam locomotive Kriegslok ("war loco"). Cash and materials were in short supply, and locomotives were needed to quickly supply troops and bases on the front lines, as well as to manage newly won territories. The German solution to this new and urgent demand for locomotives was the Kriegslok, a steam locomotive that was downgraded greatly so that it consumed the cheapest metals and could be built by unskilled slave labor, thus helping the war effort.