CANKERED Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

cankered

verb

past tense of canker

as in poisoned

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for cankered

Verb

Bowles told jurors Millete was angry at May over her yearlong affair with another man and likely poisoned her with the toxic plant hemlock.

— Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026
Many of her victims were poisoned and buried around the boarding house, with Puente cashing their social security checks.

— Selome Hailu, Variety, 7 July 2026

Definition of poisoned

Verb

Perhaps, then, what captivates us is a kind of redemption story—the seductive idea that technology can not only repair nature but absolve us for having degraded it.

— Taylor Dotson, Scientific American, 10 July 2026
Israel’s military campaigns have significantly degraded Hezbollah, while public opinion in Lebanon has increasingly turned against the group, blaming it for repeatedly dragging the country into unnecessary wars.

— Anthony Wanis-St John, The Conversation, 10 July 2026

Definition of degraded

Verb

Some frogs may have been sleeping, weakened, injured, or otherwise compromised before being captured.

— Jay Kakade July 13, New Atlas, 14 July 2026
Most people who are exposed to Legionella bacteria don’t get sick at all, but vulnerable groups can include people who are over 50, who vape or smoke, or who have weakened immune systems or underlying health conditions like diabetes or lung disease.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 14 July 2026

Definition of weakened

Verb

The relationship between Cassidy and Kennedy has deteriorated after Cassidy criticized Kennedy’s vaccine policies.

— Helen Branswell, STAT, 15 July 2026
What began as a low-level juvenile case became five years in secure custody as his behavior deteriorated and new charges accumulated.

— Christina Buttons, Washington Post, 14 July 2026

Definition of deteriorated

Verb

Residential buildings were badly damaged in the assault, leaving people trapped in multi-story apartment blocks and an entire family that was killed pulled from the rubble, while cars were seen burning on city streets.

— Helen Regan, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
As a bonus, those seasons are ideal for planting a replacement shrub or re-establishing a lawn if it is damaged during the shrub removal.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 July 2026

Definition of damaged

Verb

More important to Bernstein is what that lust reveals about her characters’ deepest needs, specifically how their need to care and be cared for can be as easily perverted as any other form of desire.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 9 July 2026
Georgia Bernstein’s unsettling directorial debut focuses on how warped and perverted those desires become when they’re taken to their insatiable extremes.

— Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 July 2026

Definition of perverted

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canker

cankered

cankering

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“Cankered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cankered. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of cankered

verb

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