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 experiments will test whether the reactor’s exhaust system can endure the punishment of such high-performance plasma without degrading.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Faulkner said he is fed up with Citation’s yearslong pattern of degrading his pastures.
    — Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of degrading
Verb
  • The referendum would authorize Miami to issue $450 million in general obligation bonds to repair or replace deteriorating police and fire-rescue facilities, including construction of a new public safety building near Miami Freedom Park.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Declining industrial demand can make the electricity balance sheet look healthier, when the reality is that the economy is deteriorating under the pressure of relentless attacks.
    — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of deteriorating
Verb
  • Her father, Steve Apa, told the New York Times that the cause was rhabdomyolysis, also known as rhabdo, a rare condition in which skeletal muscle breaks down and dies quickly, poisoning the body.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Her father told The New York Times that she’d been stricken with rhabdomyolysis, a rare condition in which muscles can break down during exertion, poisoning the body.
    — Larry Neumeister, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of poisoning
Verb
  • The victory came after a Republican redistricting effort aimed at weakening Latino voting power backfired.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • And the indicators tell you whether those conditions are strengthening or weakening.
    — Allison Mais, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • Cartels instead target local leaders, either corrupting them or killing those who stand in their way.
    — Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • But there’s a difference between drinking before entering the ring once and corrupting bullfighting for years.
    — Stephen Bates, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 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
  • Several works confront the digital systems shaping contemporary life, subverting algorithms and finding room for human error and agency.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • According to tax authorities, by inappropriately avoiding gains, investors are subverting the intention of the rules.
    — Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of subverting
Verb
  • The ship dragged its anchor along the seabed for about 80 miles, damaging two telecommunications cables, according to a court statement.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Kennedy’s fringe beliefs, such as his zealous anti-vaccine views, his rejection of germ theory, and his false claim that 5G is damaging our brains and causing cancer.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 5 Nov. 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 7 Nov. 2026.

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