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
  • These mice have some of the same features of brain damage that Alzheimer’s patients do, most notably the formation of tangled proteins and debris in the brain and progressively deteriorating performance on cognitive tasks.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The filing says the Park Service has known for years about deteriorating sections of the seawall and has fenced off discrete hazardous areas without shuttering the entire park.
    — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 5 Nov. 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
  • Rather than weakening the material, these networks create electrical hotspots that enhance its antibacterial activity.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2026
  • The wrinkle here is that investor appetite for an Anthropic IPO appears to be weakening.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • The attacker may have started corrupting data days or weeks ago.
    — Jim McGann, Forbes.com, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Cartels instead target local leaders, either corrupting them or killing those who stand in their way.
    — Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 30 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
  • This includes significant flooding of coastal beaches, walkways and roads, and potentially damaging some structures.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Elon Musk hung on to power after badly damaging Tesla’s reputation during his stint in politics.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 12 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 13 Nov. 2026.

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