as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
in the years following the closing of the last textile mill, the town atrophied
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Recent Examples of atrophied
Building that processing infrastructure at commercial scale in the US involves not only capital expenditure but also workforce development in a sector where domestic technical expertise has atrophied.
—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
25 May 2026
Their defense industry and defense forces have atrophied.
—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
While limited-government instincts seem to have atrophied for many Republicans, Duffy has retained the good sense of opposing government bailouts for private companies.
—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
3 May 2026
These periods of wealth aligned with higher oil production, which has since atrophied.
—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
What if the act of getting back onstage becomes proof that the muscle has atrophied or that someone’s sense of humor got stuck a decade ago?
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
The story has gained ascendancy as a vehicle for understanding the world while the ability to interpret narrative has atrophied.
—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
At birth, Holc weighed 6 pounds, 6 3/4 ounces and suffered from hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a fatal heart defect in which the heart’s left chamber is missing or atrophied.
—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Oct. 2025
The 2022 invasion reinvigorated a domestic defense industry that had atrophied beyond recognition since Soviet times.
—
Tamar Jacoby,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
25 May 2026
Their defense industry and defense forces have atrophied.
—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
While limited-government instincts seem to have atrophied for many Republicans, Duffy has retained the good sense of opposing government bailouts for private companies.
—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
3 May 2026
These periods of wealth aligned with higher oil production, which has since atrophied.
—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
What if the act of getting back onstage becomes proof that the muscle has atrophied or that someone’s sense of humor got stuck a decade ago?
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
The story has gained ascendancy as a vehicle for understanding the world while the ability to interpret narrative has atrophied.
—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
At birth, Holc weighed 6 pounds, 6 3/4 ounces and suffered from hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a fatal heart defect in which the heart’s left chamber is missing or atrophied.
—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Oct. 2025
The 2022 invasion reinvigorated a domestic defense industry that had atrophied beyond recognition since Soviet times.
—
Tamar Jacoby,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrophied
Verb
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Israel and Turkey were once close allies, but ties deteriorated after Erdogan, whose party is rooted in Turkey’s Islamic movement, came to power.
-
The situation in Haiti has deteriorated since armed groups took control of most of Port-au-Prince in 2024.
Verb
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Today Twain would be startled by the passivity of a once-mighty Congress that has all but crumbled in the face of pressure from the White House.
-
The Venezuelan government had housed them in a building in La Guaira that crumbled.
Verb
-
Now a controversial study claims that working from home worsened mental health.
-
The American pope has prioritized church unity and healing tensions with traditionalists that worsened during the Pope Francis pontificate.
Verb
-
America's favorite investment has changed over time In 2008, as the Great Recession descended, Americans picked the humble savings account (and the certificate of deposit) as their favorite long-term investment in Gallup polls.
-
Then something unusual happened as Valdez descended in the boom lift with Pinky’s remains.
Verb
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District officials declined to provide the correspondence with Carvalho, instead assigning the request to the district’s Public Records Act unit, where some requests for records have taken years to resolve.
-
The public prosecutor’s office declined to comment on the case when reached by CNN.
Cite this Entry
“Atrophied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrophied. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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