CANKER Synonyms: 133 Similar and Opposite Words

canker 1 of 2

verb

Definition of canker

as in to poison

to lower in character, dignity, or quality such shameless ambulance chasing cankers the legal profession

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canker

2 of 2

noun

as in rot

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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

Verb

Did something happen in her youth that might inform why Cathy, after marrying Adam, goes on to shoot him, leave their newborns, join a brothel, slowly poison the madam, and then take her job?

— Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026
Plus, some samples of Martian soil contain high levels of perchlorates, toxic chemical compounds, also found in rocket fuel, that could potentially poison the planet’s supplies of water and food.

— Brian Gallagher, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of poison

Noun

Check stored bulbs monthly and discard any showing signs of rot.

— Pam Rosendal, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of rot

Verb

Rousseau argued that societies were happiest before agriculture and metal production corrupted them.

— Saar Shahar, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
Documentarian Alex Gibney is no stranger to dissections of corrupting power — from his feature dives into Enron, Elizabeth Holmes and Scientology.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of corrupt

Noun

The inspector reported that there were two carrots and one celery stalk that have white growth and decay in the container next to the juicer.

— Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2026
Protesters in recent weeks have clashed with police to demand their government increase investments in public schools, which have long suffered from staff shortages and infrastructural decay.

— Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of decay

Verb

With so few ancient samples of dodo DNA surviving—and that which does exist having degraded over the centuries—the analytic and number-crunching power of AI is just what’s needed to fill in the genetic blanks.

— Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 14 Oct. 2026
The partnership aims to keep the platform connected when military operations disrupt or degrade individual network links.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of degrade

Noun

Is Meredith’s arc going to be tied to this new patient (Martin Martinez) who is in the foster care system and potentially has cancer?

— Max Gao, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
However, the systems remain experimental, and the protein binders have not been demonstrated as cancer treatments.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of cancer

Verb

In the 1990s, plans to demolish the deteriorating site and replace it with an underground car park sparked fierce opposition from local residents and traders, who successfully campaigned to save it.

— Alessia Armenise, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026
How much longer the current cycle can continue may depend on market breadth, which has deteriorated.

— Sarah Min, CNBC, 12 Oct. 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

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“Canker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canker. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of canker

verb

noun

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