Definition of degenerative
: of, relating to, involving, or causing degeneration a degenerative disease
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Recent Examples of degenerative from the Web
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The panel noted that about one-quarter of people older than 50 experience knee pain from degenerative knee disease, a percentage that rises with age.
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The concerns about Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disease, first surfaced in a study conducted more than 50 years ago.
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The strong majority of these people had terminal cancer diagnoses (58.6%) while another 18% had degenerative conditions like ALS and Parkinson's.
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CTE, a degenerative brain disease that can cause depression, mood disorders and cognitive changes, can only be detected at autopsy.
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Andrei was afflicted with a retinal degenerative disease known as retinitis pigmentosa, which can cause vision impairment or vision loss.
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A woman in her 60s with an autoimmune disease, mixed connective tissue disease, and degenerative arthritis, was diagnosed with chronic Lyme and underwent more than 10 years of alternative therapies.
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The most common type is a degenerative disease called osteoarthritis which effects up to 50 percent of the adult population.
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The cause of death was progressive supernuclear palsy, a rare degenerative disease, according to his son, Jeffrey.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'degenerative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Degenerative diseases—including cancer, glaucoma, Parkinson's, diabetes, arthritis, and leprosy—are usually contrasted with infectious diseases (diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa). However, many infectious diseases (Lyme disease, AIDS, etc.) can cause a body or body part to degenerate, and infective organisms play a part in some degenerative diseases. Some degenerative diseases can be controlled; some can even be cured. But no one has yet discovered a way to reverse such degenerative conditions as multiple sclerosis, emphysema, or Alzheimer's.
First Known Use of degenerative
circa 1846
Other Biology Terms
DEGENERATIVE Defined for English Language Learners
degenerative
playDefinition of degenerative for English Language Learners
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medical : causing the body or part of the body to become weaker or less able to function as time passes
Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of degenerative
: of, relating to, involving, or tending to cause degeneration degenerative conditions of the nervous system—Morris Fishbein degenerative changes a degenerative muscle disorder
Learn More about degenerative
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See words that rhyme with degenerative Spanish Central: Translation of degenerative Nglish: Translation of degenerative for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of degenerative for Arabic speakers
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