as in disintegration
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as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value
the stock of the energy company crumbled after the revelations of fraud and mismanagement
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Recent Examples of crumbling
Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
However, the Facebook post specified that despite the building crumbling, business at The Singing Chef Cafe has been thriving.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Dec. 2025
The essay moves through three parts, from an opening scene of conflict to a middle section that narrates how Didion gradually grew to distrust police, and onto a last section that reflects on the crumbling of police authority and credibility.
—Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
This familial crumbling due to politics is very present today.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 14 Nov. 2025
Caldwell will play a pivotal role as the Wolves and Lynx explore a new arena, search for solutions to the league-wide crumbling of regional sports television networks and try to maximize revenue streams.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Even with oil shipments from Venezuela, widespread blackouts have persisted across Cuba given fuel shortages and a crumbling electric grid.
—Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Though issues such as power provision appear to be improving, complaints of sanitation problems and crumbling roads have become increasingly commonplace ahead of the local elections, which must be held before November.
—semafor.com, 12 Jan. 2026
These once rose thousands of feet higher, though wind and rain have eroded the crumbling sandstone to their current heights.
—R. Scott Rappold, Denver Post, 12 Jan. 2026
Ancient temples and crumbling palazzos sit alongside innovative agriturismos and vineyards, stoic in the shadow of Mount Etna.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
Our public schools are lackluster, our infrastructure is crumbling, and defense procurement is mired in red tape.
—Philip K. Howard, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
The city has ignored nearly every issue identified in the 1970s Precise Plan — crumbling seawalls, failing infrastructure, visual blight along Mission Boulevard.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Gird your loins for potential shockwaves from logistical cyberattacks, crumbling critical infrastructure, even more extreme weather disasters and, most of all, intense geopolitical fragmentation that will further roil trade relationships, warned Everstream Analytics.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 8 Jan. 2026
Noun
But for the most part, the crumbling of the American state has unfolded as a quiet catastrophe.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
However, the Facebook post specified that despite the building crumbling, business at The Singing Chef Cafe has been thriving.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Dec. 2025
The essay moves through three parts, from an opening scene of conflict to a middle section that narrates how Didion gradually grew to distrust police, and onto a last section that reflects on the crumbling of police authority and credibility.
—Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
This familial crumbling due to politics is very present today.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 14 Nov. 2025
Caldwell will play a pivotal role as the Wolves and Lynx explore a new arena, search for solutions to the league-wide crumbling of regional sports television networks and try to maximize revenue streams.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
And behind every man with a good name and a crumbling pile, there’s a wife shrewdly attending to the seating plan.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Even with oil shipments from Venezuela, widespread blackouts have persisted across Cuba given fuel shortages and a crumbling electric grid.
—Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Though issues such as power provision appear to be improving, complaints of sanitation problems and crumbling roads have become increasingly commonplace ahead of the local elections, which must be held before November.
—semafor.com, 12 Jan. 2026
These once rose thousands of feet higher, though wind and rain have eroded the crumbling sandstone to their current heights.
—R. Scott Rappold, Denver Post, 12 Jan. 2026
Ancient temples and crumbling palazzos sit alongside innovative agriturismos and vineyards, stoic in the shadow of Mount Etna.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
Our public schools are lackluster, our infrastructure is crumbling, and defense procurement is mired in red tape.
—Philip K. Howard, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
The city has ignored nearly every issue identified in the 1970s Precise Plan — crumbling seawalls, failing infrastructure, visual blight along Mission Boulevard.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Gird your loins for potential shockwaves from logistical cyberattacks, crumbling critical infrastructure, even more extreme weather disasters and, most of all, intense geopolitical fragmentation that will further roil trade relationships, warned Everstream Analytics.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumbling
Noun
-
McDowell says the disintegration may possibly be due to a debris hit, since internal energy sources, such as fuel and batteries, should have been vented when it was retired.—
Andrew Jones,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The billions of dollars of oil sent to Cuba from socialist ally Venezuela saved the island’s economy from total collapse following the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cruz was responding to another post from Tehran Bureau, which cited a source inside Iran detailing what was described as a rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground as security forces continued to crack down on demonstrations.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The Plough’s garden furniture is deteriorating, and an antique sign visible in the Cameron-Xi event is absent.—
Brendan Murray,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Brin has committed $20 million to a new organization called Building a Better California, a political and policy effort aimed squarely at California’s worsening housing affordability problems, recent state disclosures show, as first reported by The New York Times.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
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The mills, for their part, cited crippling financial losses that were compounded by high borrowing costs and a worsening fuel deficit.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The staircase is the most structurally complex beach access point in Encinitas, and consists of multiple timber stair towers and concrete walkways descending the coastal bluff.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The models can be run at a far larger scale, with a custom layer that orchestrates hundreds of agents and keeps them from descending into chaos.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The company‘s core broadband business continues declining as customers abandon cable for wireless 5G alternatives.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Arnaout believes the absence of Maher took a mental toll on Wael which led to his health declining.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumbling. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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