Synonyms of crumbling

crumbling 1 of 2

noun

as in disintegration

Related Words

• disintegration
• dissolution
• decay
• decomposition
• rot
• breakdown
• putrefaction
• spoilage
• corruption
• festering
• putrescence
• fermentation
• moldering
• souring
• curdling

Dissimilar Words

• growth
• maturation
• ripening

crumbling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of crumble

as in deteriorating

to become worse or of less value

the stock of the energy company crumbled after the revelations of fraud and mismanagement

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deteriorating
• worsening
• descending
• declining
• decaying
• rotting
• degenerating
• diminishing
• sinking
• ebbing
• devolving
• disintegrating
• weakening
• regressing
• atrophying
• retrograding
• sagging
• falling
• dwindling
• slipping
• going to pot
• decomposing
• waning
• receding
• going to seed
• moldering
• downsizing
• dilapidating
• putrefying
• degrading
• reducing
• souring
• undermining
• corrupting
• debilitating
• languishing
• spoiling
• drooping
• failing
• abating
• lagging
• lessening
• lowering
• wilting
• wasting (away)
• flagging
• running down
• breaking down
• de-escalating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improving
• ameliorating
• upgrading
• strengthening
• bettering
• enhancing
• meliorating
• intensifying
• developing
• fortifying
• enriching
• heightening
• progressing
• proceeding
• advancing
• marching

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of crumbling

Noun

Putin and his Kremlin oligarchs have confidently anticipated a crumbling of Western assistance for Ukraine. — Ihor N. Stelmach, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026

There is so much discussion about the demise of literacy and the crumbling of the American education system. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 July 2026

The crumbling of Platner’s campaign forced a reckoning for his most loyal backers. — Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026

York said Republicans still need the president’s leadership in the midterm elections and cannot rely on the Democratic Party crumbling. — Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 27 June 2026

If approved, the measure would take effect as soon as April 1, 2027, and would generate about $20 million annually to help pay for things such as replacing the crumbling, 100-year-old, concrete-and-steel approach ramp that provides the only access to the city’s iconic wooden pier. — Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2026

As the tree grows, the roots will push out and possibly up, causing cracks and crumbling of the surfaces. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 24 June 2026

The video marked the crumbling of his alibi, legal experts told CNN at the time. — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 14 May 2026

Winter storms left its gazebo teetering, 50 feet of asphalt crumbling, and a dramatic 6 foot drop down to the sand. — Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026

Verb

Rolling blackouts, water scarcity, crumbling hospitals, and shortages of food and medicine had become routine. — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 30 July 2026

As well as Shusha, Azerbaijan had recaptured the entire lowlands, seven districts that had been crumbling undisturbed for three decades. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026

In the mid-twentieth century, the United States replaced the crumbling empires of Britain and France and committed itself to the global containment of Soviet Communism. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

But today, its concrete high-rises are crumbling into the sea. — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 27 July 2026

Sugar’s purpose in this earthly life — to reunite lost families in the City of Angels — is crumbling under the maddening impossibility of convicting a policeman of a crime in a world where the crime is the point. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 24 July 2026

Trader Joe’s recommends crumbling them atop ice cream, as if the ice cream can help. — Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 July 2026

Casey imagines America as a crumbling hotel, with each of the album’s nine songs occupying a room haunted by its own uneasy guest. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 22 July 2026

Tribal leaders warn that unstable oversight and crumbling facilities endanger Native students’ futures. — Savannah Peters, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026