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Synonyms & Antonyms of decay
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
- middle-aged people who fervently hope that daily exercise will arrest the physical decay that usually accompanies advancing age
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2
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances
- the cycle by which the decay of dead plants on the forest floor provides soil and nutrients for the next generation of plants
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decay
verbSynonyms & Antonyms of decay (Entry 2 of 2)
1
to go through decomposition
- the logs decayed on the rain forest floor
- the atom of plutonium decayed in the test chamber
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- fall apart,
- go to seed
- (or run to seed)
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2
to become worse or of less value
- the restaurant's standards for food and service had decayed over the years
Synonyms for decay
- atrophy,
- crumble,
- decline,
- degenerate,
- descend,
- deteriorate,
- devolve,
- ebb,
- regress,
- retrograde,
- rot,
- sink,
- worsen
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Phrases Synonymous with decay
- go to pot,
- go to seed
- (or run to seed)
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3
to lose bodily strength or vigor
- having reached her 80s, the woman could sense that her body was decaying
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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The first known use of decay was in the 15th century
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