CANKERING Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cankering

Verb

In 1963, Gloria Steinem went undercover for a journalism assignment as a Playboy bunny, exposing degrading working conditions that forced policy changes.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
While some look at this aesthetic as idealizing a time where women had fewer rights and independence, many trad wives do not think their roles are degrading.

— Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of degrading

Verb

But even with its new foundation and sweeping ceiling, the history of the old, deteriorating barn won’t be lost.

— Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
In the four months before killing her three children and attempting to kill herself, Lindsay Clancy desperately sought help for her deteriorating mental condition.

— Tara Bannow, STAT, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of deteriorating

Verb

The court heard how the former nurse, now 36, attacked babies in her care by administering air into their blood and stomachs, overfeeding them with milk, physically assaulting them and poisoning them with insulin.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
Former Titans scout Blaise Taylor received consecutive life sentences after his conviction for poisoning his pregnant girlfriend.

— Chris Branch, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of poisoning

Verb

That slows price increases by generally weakening economic growth.

— Matt Peterson, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
The immediate priorities are to understand which existing revenue is most secure, where client demand may be weakening and which relationships could lead to additional or recurring work.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of weakening

Verb

And by engaging with these powerful militaries, the group reinforced its self-image as a major regional player that was uniquely capable of liberating the Muslim world from corrupting American and Israeli influence.

— April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026
Gadgets with screens of any size have long been allegedly melting, rotting, and/or corrupting the brains of youths for decades.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 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

Ouweleen, who took over the top job following the retirement of longtime leader Mike Lazzo in 2022, stressed that the network retains its commitment to subverting expectations even as formats change.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026
By subverting Musk’s favorite tropes of video gaming and simulations, the film conveys the dangers of becoming like the Game Master in Ready Player One.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of subverting

Verb

You can often get prequalified to get a sense of the rate and term a lender is likely to approve you for, without damaging your credit score.

— Dan Avery,Brett Holzhauer, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Zelensky said that a passenger train was also struck in the Mykolaiv region on Wednesday, damaging a railway station and a diesel locomotive.

— Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 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

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cankering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cankering. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of cankering

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

aggrandize

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes