deteriorate

play

verb de·te·ri·o·rate \ di-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌrāt , dē- \

Definition of deteriorate

deteriorated; deteriorating

transitive verb

1 :to make inferior in quality or value :impair

Exposure to sunlight may deteriorate the paint.

2 :disintegrate

intransitive verb

:to become impaired in quality, functioning, or condition :degenerate

allowed a tradition of academic excellence to deteriorate

his health deteriorated

—

deteriorative

play \-ˌrā-tiv\ adjective

See deteriorate defined for English-language learners

See deteriorate defined for kids

Examples of deteriorate in a Sentence

efforts to save a deteriorating rain forest
Exposure to rain and sun will gradually deteriorate the paint.

Recent Examples of deteriorate from the Web

The property has deteriorated and is now in poor repair.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Owner fights landmark push for old Nichols Library; says 'property rights' being violated," 17 Aug. 2017
In the U.S., Trump has promised a plan to invest $1 trillion over 10 years upgrading deteriorating roads, bridges, airports and other assets.

— frederic tomesco, Bloomberg.com, "SNC Targets Canadian Projects as Trudeau’s Plan Gets Jump on Trump’s," 8 Aug. 2017
The deteriorating U.S.-China relationship highlights the difficulty, and the danger, of conducting high-stakes foreign policy via tweet.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Chinese State Media Mocks Trump’s “Emotional Venting” on Twitter," 1 Aug. 2017
Our public education system is deteriorating, with Chicago Public Schools recently on the brink of filing bankruptcy and disciplinary programs that perpetuate the school to prison pipeline.

— martese johnson, Teen Vogue, "Gun Violence in Chicago Took My Friend's Life," 1 Aug. 2017
But his health deteriorated over the past few seasons, as his last 16-game season came in 2012.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "Stephen Jones on Tony Romo-less camp: ‘hasn’t sunk in yet’," 19 July 2017
The political atmosphere has deteriorated substantially and there is no consensus for entitlement reform like there was six years ago.

— max bloom, National Review, "The End of the Grand Bargain," 17 July 2017
Without decent mental health care and support services, people with psychotic disorders can quickly deteriorate, ending up in overcrowded emergency rooms, jail and prison cells or dangerous city streets, Honberg said.

— liz szabo, Kaiser Health News, "Senate GOP Bill Aims To Add Psych Beds; Squeeze On Medicaid Signals Their Undoing," 10 July 2017
The Antietam project includes replacement of Antietam's Newcomer House and repairs of more than 5,000 feet of deteriorating fencing in areas where some of the most intense fighting of the 1862 battle occurred.

— leada gore, AL.com, "President Trump's first quarter salary goes to Civil War battlefield," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deteriorate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of deteriorate

Late Latin deterioratus, past participle of deteriorare, from Latin deterior worse, from de- + -ter (suffix as in Latin uter which of two) + -ior (comparative suffix) — more at whether, -er

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1572

See Words from the same year