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

Nectria kills areas of woody tissue, sometimes creating cankers on the tree stem and large branches which in turn weaken the tree. — Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 25 Jan. 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

See affected product Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria.

— Julia Gomez, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
Glutathione is processed in sterile compounding pharmacies, and there have been cases of people getting poisoned due to contamination at these facilities, Sack said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of poison

Noun

Now the rot is right there on the surface; the people smiling are less likely to be clueless optimists than the people who are happy about the rot, or profiting from it.

— Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
Joe is a knowing witness to and participant in the rot at the heart of Western Civilization.

— Andy Andersen, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of rot

Verb

There, Prue must go on a journey to save her younger brother Mac from crows led by a woman named Alexandra (Carey Mulligan), who captures Curtis and attempts to corrupt him for her own mysterious purposes.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026
As a result, the notion of utopia became increasingly associated with the sci-fi genre, while the idea of creating a perfect social order here on earth was corrupted by totalitarian regimes.

— Carline Tromp, The Dial, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of corrupt

Noun

This is intended to minimize degradation, reducing contrast decay and improving light projection reliability, ultimately extending the screen's lifespan.

— Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026
These numbers allowed researchers to rule out standard organic decay or high-temperature methane breakdown as the source.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of decay

Verb

Iran is unlikely to give up the leverage offered by having proxies spread across the region, even if some of them have been degraded by Israel or lost a foothold thanks to regime change, as is the case in Syria.

— Tim Lister, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
But now, Wright says Wendy’s has drifted from some of those qualities, telling investors that decisions made in the interest of cost and efficiency had degraded some of the food quality that set the chain apart.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of degrade

Verb

The Associated Press OSLO, Norway -- Crown Prince Haakon visited his father King Harald of Norway on Monday at the hospital, after the king's health deteriorated over the weekend, public broadcaster NRK reported.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Now held with dozens of others in a former luxury hotel turned makeshift prison, the group describe chains, deteriorating conditions, scarce medical care and guards accused of violence.

— Mark Banchereau, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of deteriorate

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canisters

canker

cankered

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“Canker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canker. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of canker

verb

noun

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