The opposite of "escalate" (2024)

Little_LIS

Senior Member

Egypt

Arabic,Egypt

  • Apr 29, 2009
  • #1

Hello everybody,

I'd like to ask about the opposite of " escalate".

For example,

Escalate an issue to the upper management.

My suggestions are "belittle" and "deprecate".

Thanks in advance.

  • HalloweenHJB

    Senior Member

    Indianapolis, Indiana

    American English, Midwest USA

    • Apr 29, 2009
    • #2

    If I'm not mistaken, the best options would be "de-escalate", a form that is very common in AE, in spite of its clumsiness.

    In the service sector, where companies deal with angry clients, they speak of situations that "escalate" (become highly emotional, volatile, and possibly aggressive), and the opposite would be "to calm" or "to pacify" the client.

    Not sure if that is appropriate in the context, but I hope it helps.

    M

    MARMENLINS

    Senior Member

    bcn

    Catalunya Català

    • Mar 1, 2012
    • #4

    I like fade

    rhitagawr

    Senior Member

    Wales

    British English

    • Mar 1, 2012
    • #5

    In BE you can say 'wind down' if you mean to close down something gradually or to relax after strenuous activity.
    (1) 'The government is winding down the North of England Office.' I.e. the work of the NEO [a name I've just made up] is decreasing and eventually the office will close.
    (2) 'Teaching is such a stressful job that it takes me three weeks to wind down in the summer holidays.'
    I agree that these two usages aren't really the opposite of 'escalate' in Little_LIS's sense.
    Little_LIS certainly doesn't want 'belittle', 'deprecate', or 'fade.' (See dictionary.) I can't think of a single word in BE which gives the meaning Little_LIS wishes to convey. Perhaps the long-winded 'tell management that the issue is no longer of concern.'

    Last edited:

    panjandrum

    Senior Member

    Belfast, Ireland

    English-Ireland (top end)

    • Mar 1, 2012
    • #6

    Little_LIS said:

    Hello everybody,

    I'd like to ask about the opposite of " escalate".

    For example,

    Escalate an issue to the upper management.

    ...

    I understand the process the example refers to.
    I don't know what the opposite process would be, so I have difficulty in suggesting an appropriate opposite - other than "not escalate".
    We decided to escalate the issue to senior management.
    We decided not to escalate the issue to senior management.

    More generally, in the kind of setting where "escalate" would be an appropriate term, the natural opposite is "de-escalate".

    It would help if Little_LIS would post a sentence that would include the term she's looking for.

    pwmeek

    Senior Member

    SE Michigan, USA

    English - American

    • Mar 1, 2012
    • #7

    Note well that "escalate" used in this sense is biz-speak, or language favored by the writers of material intended to impress other speakers of biz-speak. It is certainly entering the common language, but right-thinking people (old fogies, like me) are fighting this tendency.

    On telephone help lines, "escalate" (concerning a help request) is the word used to mean "send it to the next-higher level of experts". There is no opposite, because it never happens.

    "Always willing/ready to escalate" describes a person who, in a fight or argument, is likely to respond at a higher level. If you push, he will hit you; if you pull a knife, he will pull a gun and use it. If you insult him, he will insult your mother. Always higher. Again, no opposite, but you may be able to "defuse the situation".

    panjandrum

    Senior Member

    Belfast, Ireland

    English-Ireland (top end)

    • Mar 1, 2012
    • #8

    pwmeek said:

    Note well that "escalate" used in this sense is biz-speak, or language favored by the writers of material intended to impress other speakers of biz-speak. It is certainly entering the common language, but right-thinking people (old fogies, like me) are fighting this tendency.

    It is a particularly convenient term for use in organisations/contexts where there are structural layers.
    Or alternatively, I've been living with the term both as customer and provider for so long that I have lost all sensitivity to it.

    On telephone help lines, "escalate" (concerning a help request) is the word used to mean "send it to the next-higher level of experts". There is no opposite, because it never happens.
    ...

    That provokes a thought that "delegate" might be the opposite of "escalate" ... sometimes.

    Uncle Bob

    Senior Member

    Hungary

    British English

    • Mar 1, 2012
    • #9

    I seem to have heard "send it down the line" for something that those higher up give to those lower down for action.
    I write that never having heard "escalate" used that way, thank goodness.

    panjandrum

    Senior Member

    Belfast, Ireland

    English-Ireland (top end)

    • Mar 1, 2012
    • #10

    I'm really surprised by the response to "escalate" in this context.
    See:
    Using "escalate" to mean something like "refer to a higher level in the organisaion."

    M

    Mihalis

    New Member

    Greek - Cyrpus

    • Jul 1, 2016
    • #11

    cascade.
    In one word you can use cascade

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    The opposite of "escalate" (2024)

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