as in to poison
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
such shameless ambulance chasing cankers the legal profession
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rot
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of canker
Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 1 Aug. 2019
Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
Fungal disease, butternut canker, wiped out about 90% of the state's butternut trees.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for canker
Verb
Start by removing all blighted twigs and cankered branches 6 to 10 inches below the edge of visible infection.
—Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 1 Aug. 2019
Noun
Even the most superb body begins to diminish in a person’s early 30s, thanks to the onset of sarcopenia, which sounds like a canker but means the incremental decline of muscle mass.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
Fungal disease, butternut canker, wiped out about 90% of the state's butternut trees.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for canker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canker
Verb
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The latter activity gives them some solid ground to plant their hooves on when George abruptly turns up dead one morning, poisoned by an unknown suspect.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
8 May 2026
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One of us even faced an assassination plot in Canada and concluded he was poisoned in Russia for defending Iranian human rights lawyers and Russian dissidents.—
Irwin Cotler,
Time,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Finally, upgrade your couch-rot-and-do-nothing sessions with the TCL 75-inch Class Q6 smart TV, and save 22%.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
5 May 2026
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Wet soil after rain can lead to seed rot or fungal issues, making reseeding necessary.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
An independent redistricting commission — transparent, balanced and insulated from the very political pressures that have corrupted this process.—
Daryl Campbell,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2026
-
In an era when youth sports can sometimes feel corrupted by money, pressure and adult ego, the Lee Corso Legacy Fund serves as a reminder of what sports are supposed to be about in the first place.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 May 2026
Noun
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That may be fine for downtown, but none of us in North County signed on for the kind of problems that high density brings — urban decay, crime, traffic and unaffordable housing.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
Advertisement Just as Nietzsche warned of the dangers of a nihilist moral void leading to societal decay, the current disregard for responsible data practices could erode trust in institutions and perpetuate systemic inequalities.—
Alice Xiang,
Time,
6 May 2026
Verb
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In applications like data centers, where batteries may cycle multiple times a day, lithium-ion systems degrade relatively quickly.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
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Corning's optical solutions ensure that the data being sent between servers doesn't degrade — a risk with the copper wires used historically before the era of agentic AI computing.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
Noun
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Researchers from Harvard and other institutions recently published a study in the journal Nature Communications that suggests those who live near nuclear power plants may be at higher risk for cancer.—
Krisztian Elcsics,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
-
Short's mother, Olive, passed away after a battle with cancer in 1968 and his father, Charles, died following a stroke just two years later in 1970.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
Verb
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The debate followed a Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association forum in which Bass and Raman previewed several themes that resurfaced Wednesday, including homelessness policy, LAPD staffing, housing density and frustration over deteriorating city services.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
7 May 2026
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Despite the nonprofit spending $925,000 on ice rental during the 2025-26 season, conditions at the rink deteriorated under Black Bear, said Michalak, who briefly worked at the rink after Black Bear bought it.—
Kenny Jacoby,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
Noun
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But does the vitality mask the squalor or the squalor the vitality?—
SPIN Team,
SPIN,
20 Apr. 2026
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And while these tenants paid their rent month after month, some of them up to $900 a month to live in squalor.—
Nikki DeMentri,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Canker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canker. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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