as in deteriorates
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 atrophies
Otherwise the ability to work independently atrophies.
—
Illia Smoliienko, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Marcus Pettersson Pettersson’s form, as is typical for most non-play driving defensive defencemen as the health of a wider two-way environment atrophies, has looked poor for long stretches of this season.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026
But if American political life continues to become coarser and more corrupt, and its hard power is repeatedly misused while its soft power atrophies, keeping those two things separate is going to be a lot more difficult.
—Stephen M. Walt, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2025
The hippocampus is primarily responsible for memory and learning, and commonly shrinks, or atrophies, after a stroke.
—New Atlas, 6 Sep. 2025
Illia Smoliienko, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Marcus Pettersson Pettersson’s form, as is typical for most non-play driving defensive defencemen as the health of a wider two-way environment atrophies, has looked poor for long stretches of this season.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026
But if American political life continues to become coarser and more corrupt, and its hard power is repeatedly misused while its soft power atrophies, keeping those two things separate is going to be a lot more difficult.
—Stephen M. Walt, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2025
The hippocampus is primarily responsible for memory and learning, and commonly shrinks, or atrophies, after a stroke.
—New Atlas, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrophies
Verb
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Meetings grow tense, and communication deteriorates.—
Niurys Robaina,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
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There’s less maintenance and less investment in them, so the individual property deteriorates.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
4 June 2026
Verb
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That is the moment that everything crumbles for Rachel.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
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Loyalty, betrayal, illness and war all bear down on the group as the old order crumbles around them.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This worsens the inflammatory response to the initial infection, according to Fleming, who was not involved in the study.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
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As the economic and social situation worsens, Cubans have organized daily protests in various parts of the island.—
Sarah Moreno
June 5,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
Verb
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The psychological horror film starring Chiwetel Ejiofor is about a furniture store owner who descends into his own heart of darkness in his shop.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
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But their friendship comes to a sudden end in episode 5 when law enforcement descends on the farm.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Once sterile males are prevalent enough, the fly's population declines and then dies out.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
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If price declines outpace output gains, total revenues in affected industries must fall, reducing the income available to workers and other producers despite higher levels of production.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atrophies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrophies. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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