as in to deteriorate
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in degeneration
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of atrophy
Arkansas Online, 25 Aug. 2025
Other studies have found that people with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment tend to have lower B12 levels—and supplementation with B12 can reduce the rate of brain atrophy.
—Perri Ormont Blumberg, Time, 13 Aug. 2025
Chris Lehmann, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
At the same time, the Nation’s nuclear fuel cycle infrastructure has severely atrophied, leaving the United States heavily dependent on foreign sources of uranium as well as uranium enrichment and conversion services.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrophy
Verb
The brain injury caused cerebral atrophy and a glial scar, which led to the boy's brain being significantly undeveloped, according to court documents.
—Arkansas Online, 25 Aug. 2025
Other studies have found that people with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment tend to have lower B12 levels—and supplementation with B12 can reduce the rate of brain atrophy.
—Perri Ormont Blumberg, Time, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
That episode drives home how deeply the oversight capacities of the American system have atrophied in its wake.
—Chris Lehmann, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
At the same time, the Nation’s nuclear fuel cycle infrastructure has severely atrophied, leaving the United States heavily dependent on foreign sources of uranium as well as uranium enrichment and conversion services.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrophy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrophy
Verb
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The 112-year-old school building has asbestos and a deteriorating foundation.—
Erica Mosca,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
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But when the levees failed, thousands of people were trapped inside as supplies dwindled and conditions deteriorated quickly.—
Sarah Alegre,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, a brain disorder caused by degeneration of the brain's frontal lobe, comes nearly a year after Willis' family confirmed the movie icon, now 67, was stepping away from acting due to an aphasia diagnosis.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
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And their medial knee cartilage showed less worsening, suggesting slower cartilage degeneration.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Burberry's share price has fallen sharply over recent years, declining almost 80% from April 2023 to September 2024, as waning sales and a slew of management changes exacerbated a wider luxury downturn.—
Karen Gilchrist,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
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Morris and his attorneys declined comment.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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These ingredients reflect a growing shift in pet wellness away from simply slowing joint deterioration and toward rebuilding comfort, restoring flexibility, and reducing inflammation at the source.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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But the deployment of—among others—three destroyers, at least one submarine and an amphibious ready group (ARG) filled with Marines is a further deterioration in the poor relationship between Washington and Caracas that appears to have spooked Maduro.—
Ellie Cook
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The company travels to Rome, where Blackshirts march in the piazzas, but Duse’s health worsens.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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Checking in with a pediatrician, school counselor, or a mental health professional can provide guidance before patterns worsen.—
Adrienne Farr,
Parents,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Exposure to warm, humid air and bugs in the outdoors will speed up the decay even more.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
7 Sep. 2025
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The quest has led us down many theoretically interesting avenues, spawning ideas like extra dimensions, supersymmetry, proton decay, string theory, and many others.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That this team won’t crumble in the face of adversity.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Decades of underinvestment have left the country with congested highways, crumbling bridges, crowded airports — and a disjointed passenger rail network that is underfunded and unreliable.—
Ben Jones,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Those trades were made ahead of Friday’s big jobs report for August, which showed the labor market weakening.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
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Within 24 hours, the storm was expected to begin a slow weakening.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Atrophy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrophy. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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