as in deteriorating
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 atrophying
Language skills at the department are also atrophying.
—
Byron Tau, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Horvath blames educational technology (EdTech) for these atrophying skillsets, arguing that at the turn of the 21th century and through its first decade and a half, tech companies and advocates pushed a false narrative that the education system was broken, but computers could fix it.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Byron Tau, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Horvath blames educational technology (EdTech) for these atrophying skillsets, arguing that at the turn of the 21th century and through its first decade and a half, tech companies and advocates pushed a false narrative that the education system was broken, but computers could fix it.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrophying
Verb
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Mohammadi’s family said her health had been deteriorating in prison, in part because she was heavily beaten during her arrest.—
Sarah el Deeb,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
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In recent years, the island’s deteriorating infrastructure has been a backdrop for violence, neglect, and death; a federal judge has deemed its conditions unconstitutional.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Verb
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The mounting costs of Putin’s war on Ukraine have contributed to the nation’s shift, as Russians grapple with higher inflation, more taxes, crumbling infrastructure, tighter censorship, and myriad new restrictions.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
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The final sentence feels apt given that Starmer’s Labour administration is crumbling.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Higher yields boost interest costs, which are running at $1 trillion a year, worsening the budget deficit and adding even more to the total debt burden.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
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Samsung has warned that the AI boom is worsening chip shortages and creating headwinds for its own smartphone and display units.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Black Bear officials cited the program's declining participation rates and finances as the reason.—
Kenny Jacoby,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
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Sadly, bat populations are declining rapidly in North America.—
The Conversation,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The steeply descending main street of Haworth is filled with tea shops, pubs and stores clearly dedicated to pleasing Brontë pilgrims, but its basic form, including the original stationery store where the sisters once bought their paper, remains the same.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
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Case in point is the Haryma necklace, where yellow and orange diamonds come to play with garnets and white diamonds to create a shading effect on the necklace and figurative tiger descending a staircase arrangement supported by five imperial topazes, totaling just over 28 carats.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atrophying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrophying. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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