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
New Atlas, 6 Sep. 2025
The 2022 invasion reinvigorated a domestic defense industry that had atrophied beyond recognition since Soviet times.
—Tamar Jacoby, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
The report describes a kind of doom loop of AI dependence, where students increasingly off-load their own thinking onto the technology, leading to the kind of cognitive decline or atrophy more commonly associated with aging brains.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrophy
Verb
The hippocampus is primarily responsible for memory and learning, and commonly shrinks, or atrophies, after a stroke.
—New Atlas, 6 Sep. 2025
The 2022 invasion reinvigorated a domestic defense industry that had atrophied beyond recognition since Soviet times.
—Tamar Jacoby, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
These lobes atrophy, and the shrinking of these areas can cause speech issues, emotional problems and changes in personality.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
The report describes a kind of doom loop of AI dependence, where students increasingly off-load their own thinking onto the technology, leading to the kind of cognitive decline or atrophy more commonly associated with aging brains.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrophy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrophy
Verb
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The development changed hands a couple of times during the 1920s, and during the late 1920s and the 1930s, the building deteriorated to the point of being unlivable as white flight and disinvestment hit the area, Preservation Chicago said.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
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Infection occurs when the tree's bark is damaged by insects, animals, or mechanical wounds, causing the soft wood to deteriorate quickly and make the trunk and branches susceptible to breakage.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Researchers at Cedars-Sinai found traces of Chlamydia pneumoniae – a bacterium that's best known for causing respiratory infections – in the eye's retinal tissue, and higher levels of this pathogen correlated with advanced degeneration in Alzheimer’s disease patients.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Feb. 2026
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By targeting the underlying neuronal degeneration, ER-100 is positioned as a potential disease-modifying treatment rather than a symptomatic fix.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, Iranian retaliatory attacks appear to be declining — ballistic missile strikes have fallen by 90% and drone attacks by 83%, according to US Central Command — potentially easing pressure on Gulf states that have faced Iranian strikes in recent days.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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Bonta’s office declined to comment.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Summary The recent selloff in SLB appears driven more by macro uncertainty and market positioning than by any deterioration in the company’s fundamentals.—
Tony Zhang,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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Contributing to the rust and deterioration of the village mains is not just their age but the fact that Sleepy Hollow’s soil is mostly soft and partially peaty, Hof said.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Gang violence, death threats and a crumbling judicial system have stalled an ongoing investigation.—
David Fischer,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Last summer, the fastball effectiveness crumbled.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The subsurface storage reserve acts as the ultimate shock absorber against price spike and the decay of petroleum reserves due to poorly managed well shut-in during crisis.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
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The creation of a tiny black hole would only lead to its immediate decay.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tim Pennington called again that evening, Bell said, to ask for prayers as his son's condition was worsening, and then later told him the soldier had succumbed to his injuries.—
ALLEN G. BREED,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
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Behind the scenes, DHS officials worry that the longer the shutdown lasts, the greater the risk that more TSA employees will leave, worsening staffing shortages beyond the immediate crisis.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The state is seeing a weakening of its oil industry, and increasing challenges for its refineries to remain open due to environmental concerns, according to a Daily Breeze report on Monday, March 2.—
Pat Maio,
Oc Register,
3 Mar. 2026
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But independent decisions the groups have made so far to stay clear of the conflict are a sign of the overall weakening of Iran’s network.—
Adam Geller,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atrophy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrophy. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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