degenerative
adjective
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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.
Examples of degenerative in a Sentence
Robert Lloyd, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
In real life, Anne was reported to have suffered from a degenerative illness for most of her life.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
The former high school football player who killed four people inside a Manhattan office tower that houses the headquarters of the NFL, and who blamed the league for hiding the dangers of brain injuries, was suffering from the degenerative brain disease CTE, a city medical examiner said Friday.
—CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Brain Exercises for Brain Injury People who are recovering from traumatic brain injury or damage from a degenerative brain condition can also benefit from brain exercises.
—Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degenerative
Cite this Entry
“Degenerative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/degenerative. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
degenerative
adjective
Medical Definition
degenerative
adjective
-ˈjen-(ə-)rət-
Morris Fishbein
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