1
as in deterioration
a change to a lower state or level
the organization's degeneration from a movement for political reform to just another political party
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weakening
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
the troubling degeneration of his memory since he reached middle age
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in degradation
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior
the general degeneration that characterized so many old mining towns, which had only drinking and gambling for entertainment
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degeneration
Muscle degeneration occurs when one of those genes is mutated (a change in DNA sequence).
—
Laura Campedelli, Verywell Health, 30 July 2024
Adkins, of Georgia, cared for her mother for a decade after her mom was diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration dementia.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 22 May 2025
Histological examination showed no signs of retinal degeneration, even in individuals likely several hundreds of years old.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Moral degeneration accompanies the physical; lying is one of the outstanding characteristics, probably due to lack of moral equilibrium.
—Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degeneration
Laura Campedelli, Verywell Health, 30 July 2024
Adkins, of Georgia, cared for her mother for a decade after her mom was diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration dementia.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 22 May 2025
Histological examination showed no signs of retinal degeneration, even in individuals likely several hundreds of years old.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Moral degeneration accompanies the physical; lying is one of the outstanding characteristics, probably due to lack of moral equilibrium.
—Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degeneration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degeneration
Noun
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Perry confirmed the system’s deterioration at the council’s May 28 meeting.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 July 2025
-
Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 July 2025
Noun
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Food production alone is the leading driver of deforestation, land degradation, and wildlife extinction.—
Sylvana Quader Sinha,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
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Similarly, some brands are also offering waterless formulas to help protect the volatile ingredient from degradation.—
Adam Hurly,
Robb Report,
29 July 2025
Noun
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These adjustment to scheduling, along with staffing changes and dining revenue declines, are impacting not just Jack Fry's, but the entire Louisville restaurant economy.—
Amanda Hancock,
The Courier-Journal,
26 July 2025
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Charter Communications continues to lose video and broadband customers as legacy cable giants face increasing competition from YouTube and other streaming-era competitors and the decline of traditional TV to reach and retain video viewers.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
25 July 2025
Noun
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The decay of marketing effects varies by channel, audience, creative, season and competitive context.—
Cody Greco,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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Although abrupt, the decision follows years of concern about the decay of U.S. Antarctic scientific infrastructure, exacerbated by hesitations from both agencies about starting big new projects in the face of ongoing federal budget uncertainty.—
Nadia Drake,
Scientific American,
22 July 2025
Noun
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Check if the customer database can be fully restored within a 24-hour recovery time after simulated data corruption.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
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Fighting rampant government corruption was Zelensky’s main campaign pledge ahead of the 2019 election.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
23 July 2025
Noun
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Where corporate criminal investigations resolve without filing any criminal charges (through a declination or deferred prosecution agreement), companies should expect victims to still voice their views loudly to the Justice Department and beyond.—
Lisa Zornberg,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
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The changing declination also defines the daily arc that the sun takes across the sky, thereby accounting for the length of daylight.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
6 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degeneration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degeneration. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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