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
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Recent Examples of atrophy
Editorial Board, Washington Post, 3 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
Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
The challenge for organizations is to cultivate these capabilities rather than allow them to atrophy.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrophy
Verb
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
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
Noun
Nola Timmins was diagnosed with optic nerve atrophy and declared legally blind at 5 years old.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
The challenge for organizations is to cultivate these capabilities rather than allow them to atrophy.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrophy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrophy
Verb
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has been accused of secluding himself from the deteriorating realities of his invasion of Ukraine.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
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Even though the mice on the sugar-free diet did not gain any extra weight compared to the control group, their internal health indicators deteriorated.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
In the book, Caputo’s initial pride and arrogance soon give way to a more contemplative spirit, followed by degeneration.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
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The research team noted that fatty degeneration of the muscle could be clearly seen on MRIs, as streaks of fat replace muscle fibers.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In 2023, the year after five Tampa Bay Rays players declined to wear rainbow logos for Pride Night, Manfred said the league would no longer compel players to do so.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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Factors such as declining birth rates and families moving out of the city are contributing to declining enrollment at Denver Public Schools.—
Chierstin Roth,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Noun
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Oslo University Hospital on June 5 said Mette-Marit had been placed on a waiting list for a lung transplant after a significant deterioration in her health that likely gave her only a year left to live without the surgery.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
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That moment revealed profound psychiatric deterioration and human suffering.—
Justyna Rzewinski,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Yet robust economic growth has proved elusive, even as government debt has climbed, leaving successive administrations with little firepower to fix a growing list of related challenges, from crumbling infrastructure to a chronic housing shortage.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
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All of this was a source of ongoing friction; and the glue that held the USSR together, military might and communist ideology, had been crumbling for some time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 June 2026
Noun
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The decay rate will increase as the spacecraft dips into denser layers of the atmosphere until Swift finally burns up during reentry.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 June 2026
-
The Dirty Beaches founder’s own saxophone and trumpet lead the players’ cut-and-pasted recordings down dark alleys of decay and introspection, backdropped by percussive bangs and scrapes that suggest the construction of some great, mysterious superstructure.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Ongoing construction worsened the situation, but shortly after the interchange, traffic eased.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
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China’s economic imbalance worsened in May as retail sales fell at the fastest pace in years, while industrial output accelerated, new data showed.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
Noun
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One of the most significant changes during Hill’s tenure was the weakening of structures designed to elevate teacher concerns to district leadership, Oreskovic said.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
19 June 2026
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Friday, a weakening ridge and an approaching front will allow scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop.—
Lauren Bostwick,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atrophy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrophy. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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