Glossary Graceful Degradation
Graceful Degradation
TechWeb Standards
Definition
Building for the most capable environment first, then making sure the experience falls back to something usable — not something broken — where a feature is missing
The same layered outcome as progressive enhancement, reached from the top down. In practice the two meet in the middle: a feature query (@supports) or a capability check decides which branch runs, and the fallback branch is a real design, not an error state.
Fail well. The order of work is the difference from progressive enhancement: degradation starts rich and protects the floor; enhancement starts at the floor and builds up. The floor is the same either way, and it is the part a reader without the latest browser actually gets.