cankering

verb

present participle of canker
as in degrading
to lower in character, dignity, or quality such shameless ambulance chasing cankers the legal profession

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cankering
  1. degrading
  2. deteriorating
  3. poisoning
  4. weakening
  5. corrupting
  6. humiliating
  7. subverting
  8. damaging
Verb
  • The Kremlin has also started to systematically target Ukrainian ports and ships in the Black Sea in hopes of degrading the infrastructure that supports the country’s agricultural exports.
    — Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2026
  • In a public service announcement Thursday, the agencies said water and wastewater utilities have reported incidents to the FBI, with some malicious activity degrading water operations.
    — Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 31 July 2026
Definition of degrading
Verb
  • Families of some of the 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the Lincoln describe low morale and deteriorating conditions.
    — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Concerns about mental health deteriorating on these types of deployments are well-founded.
    — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of deteriorating
Verb
  • While the mines themselves trample landscapes, the mercury used in the process is poisoning communities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Women in ancient Rome used toad secretions to murder their husbands; 16th-century Italian chemists laced salts with toad toxins for poisoning the food of enemies.
    — Kimon de Greef, Longreads, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of poisoning
Verb
  • Sansoni’s study suggests that years of scrolling on Instagram can weaken our ability to rely on these inner signals, essentially weakening our brain’s ability to accurately perceive its own face and body.
    — Nicole Karlis, Allure, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The danger Pelath is concerned about is when the river banks are saturated, some root systems let go, sending more trees into the river and weakening the banks.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • Validation rules, schema standards and completeness checks at the entry point prevent bad master data from corrupting everything downstream.
    — Jacqueline DeStefano-Tangorra, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Character also involves standing up to people who are bankrupting and corrupting this country.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 31 May 2026
Definition of corrupting
Verb
  • The Iranians are now setting the terms of this conflict and are routinely humiliating the American president.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026
Definition of humiliating
Verb
  • No artist has had more fun subverting the conventions of the track ID than Kieran Hebden, better known as Four Tet.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 July 2026
  • There must be accountability for Supreme Court justices that have taken part in subverting American democracy.
    — Oliver Adams Larkin, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 2026
Definition of subverting
Verb
  • Williamson said protection of county waterways is a major pillar of his campaign, highlighting the dangers of chemical sprays meant to control plants that end up damaging the ecosystem.
    — James Wilkins, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The systems moving in could potentially bring severe weather, large hail, damaging winds and flooding, said NWS Indy meteorologist Matthew Eckhoff.
    — Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of damaging
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.

Browse Nearby Words

cankered
cankering
cankers
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Cite this Entry

“Cankering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cankering. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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