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canker 1 of 2

verb

Definition of cankernext
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

canker

2 of 2

noun

as in rot

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of canker
Noun
Recognize bacterial canker by the dead branches covered by sap drippings. — Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Feb. 2026 This damages the trunk and leaves an ugly, elongated canker that invites insects and stresses the tree, leading to stunted growth, sparse foliage, and stem dieback. — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Jan. 2026 Bacterial plant diseases include speck (a winter-surviving infection that attacks tomatoes), canker (which damages fruit trees including those producing apples and peaches), and blight (which rots melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, beans, and more). — New Atlas, 10 Jan. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for canker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canker
  1. poison
  2. rot
  3. corrupt
  4. decay
  5. degrade
  6. cancer
  7. deteriorate
  8. squalor
Verb
  • The video cuts to Swift living out exactly what Johnson’s been living through, revealing that Farrell poisoned Swift, leading to her death.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 27 Sep. 2026
  • In her other case, Hogan has been accused of trying to falsify a paternity test in a custody battle with her ex-fiancé, who was not the same man who was allegedly poisoned.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of poison
Noun
  • The atmosphere persists even when the characters are off the air, as if to suggest that the seeping rot of the show has metastasized into every moment of their lives.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The onset of rot is creeping closer and the meat may even begin to stink.
    — Jack Hennessy, Outdoor Life, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of rot
Verb
  • The audience is interacting with an object that had been scanned, that had been corrupted in some way.
    — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Obama and Biden were corrupted by donors who wanted cheap labor.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Noun
  • Unlike fragile physical qubits, which suffer rapid calculation decay from environmental noise, logical qubits group multiple physical qubits together using software protocols to ensure computational stability and accuracy.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
  • To capitalize on this elevated volatility while maintaining a bullish long-term stance, traders can structure a unique strategy that collects time decay to finance a directional bet.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of decay
Verb
  • Germany's Constitutional Court ruled last year that the extradition was unlawful because it could not be guaranteed that the defendant would not be subject to inhumane or degrading treatment in Hungarian custody.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Moscow no longer hopes to win by merely capturing cities, or even by degrading Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
    — Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of degrade
Noun
  • The cancer is characterized by abnormal, accelerated growth of squamous cells, according to the foundation.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
  • This problem will only get worse, with new cancer cases projected to increase 67% by 2050.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of cancer
Verb
  • Complaints from students about deteriorating schools, teacher shortages and heavy class schedules have become the latest cause embraced by some presidential hopefuls.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • With seven months left in his term, Macron’s approval ratings are near record lows, driven by anger over the rising cost of living and criticism of France’s growing debt and deficit and deteriorating public services.
    — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of deteriorate
Noun
  • The Yolo County parents of a 7-day-old infant found living in squalor in a tent under an overpass have pleaded not guilty to the child endangerment charges against them, records show.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Bryant was charged in February 2025 with first-degree child abuse after investigators found that her children — at the time ages 12, 13, and 15 — had been living alone for at least four years in a townhouse on Lydia Lane, trapped in squalor.
    — Andrea May Sahouri, Freep.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of squalor

Browse Nearby Words

canisters
canker
cankered
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Cite this Entry

“Canker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canker. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on canker

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about canker

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