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

Patterson was accused of pretending to eat the same portion, and of feigning illness in an elaborate ruse to suggest she’d also been poisoned.

— Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
For decades, many speculated Taylor had been poisoned with arsenic, as his sudden death happened during an intense political crisis over slavery.

— Sophie Clausen, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of poisoned

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 degraded

Verb

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
If Romance balanced the human and the corrupted, Dopamine Chamber deliberately tips the scales.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of corrupted

Verb

The ultimate effect of Fedorov appeal to everyone’s better angels, is that Zelensky is weakened, the questions of his electoral legitimacy amplified, and the call for an end to the war bolstered.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Positions have hardened, trust has weakened and the room for quiet resolution has narrowed.

— Sean Pattwell, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of weakened

Verb

Her motive wasn’t a major part of the trial, but evidence presented by the prosecution suggested her relationship with her in-laws had deteriorated.

— Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
As the deployment has stretched on and living conditions on board have allegedly deteriorated, the crew of the Lincoln has also reportedly struggled with increasing mental health concerns.

— Connor Greene, Time, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of deteriorated

Verb

But the scientific evidence needed to rule out that connection could be complicated if the remains are damaged, said Miller.

— Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
This could be particularly relevant to dual citizens who routinely travel with more than one passport, as well as anyone who has had a passport lost, stolen, damaged, or replaced between applying for ETIAS and taking a trip.

— Bailey Berg, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 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 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of cankered

verb

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