1
as in deterioration
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposition
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to rot
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deteriorate
to become worse or of less value
the restaurant's standards for food and service had decayed over the years
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3
as in to fade
to lose bodily strength or vigor
having reached her 80s, the woman could sense that her body was decaying
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of decay
Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
Early last year — in a study described by its authors as the most precise measure of iron-60 in the early solar system to date — Fang and her colleagues reported low levels of iron-60 (measured via its stable decay product nickel-60) in a planetesimal formed just after the collapse of the cloud.
—James Dinneen, Quanta Magazine, 2 Mar. 2026
Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, scotch whisky wouldn’t even exist without the decaying power of peat—a terrifying thought, if there ever was one.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decay
Noun
The theater on the southwest corner of 14th and Main started as a vaudeville theater in the 1920s before surviving decades of decay at the end of the 20th century and revitalization in the 2000s, according to The Star’s archives.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
Early last year — in a study described by its authors as the most precise measure of iron-60 in the early solar system to date — Fang and her colleagues reported low levels of iron-60 (measured via its stable decay product nickel-60) in a planetesimal formed just after the collapse of the cloud.
—James Dinneen, Quanta Magazine, 2 Mar. 2026
Verb
The resulting wood chips and soil are either piled in place to rot and decay or hauled offsite.
—Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, scotch whisky wouldn’t even exist without the decaying power of peat—a terrifying thought, if there ever was one.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decay
Noun
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Summary The recent selloff in SLB appears driven more by macro uncertainty and market positioning than by any deterioration in the company’s fundamentals.—
Tony Zhang,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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Contributing to the rust and deterioration of the village mains is not just their age but the fact that Sleepy Hollow’s soil is mostly soft and partially peaty, Hof said.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Wrapped in a biodegradable shroud of silk or wool, the body is placed in a pressurized chamber where a blend of hot water and chemicals accelerates natural decomposition.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Mar. 2026
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Bacteria break down tissues and produce gases that contribute to the body's decomposition process.—
Layla Ferris,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Failing to correct problems can lead to crumbling home foundations, rotting wood, mold growth, and a proliferation of pests, including termites.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
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The resulting wood chips and soil are either piled in place to rot and decay or hauled offsite.—
Daniel Scott,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The development changed hands a couple of times during the 1920s, and during the late 1920s and the 1930s, the building deteriorated to the point of being unlivable as white flight and disinvestment hit the area, Preservation Chicago said.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
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Infection occurs when the tree's bark is damaged by insects, animals, or mechanical wounds, causing the soft wood to deteriorate quickly and make the trunk and branches susceptible to breakage.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Three days later, Litmus Test faded to third place in his first start of the year, the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas.—
Jay Posner,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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What sympathy there may have been for a cornered, bruised Iranian regime among its neighbors has faded in the face of Tehran’s escalation.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The state is seeing a weakening of its oil industry, and increasing challenges for its refineries to remain open due to environmental concerns, according to a Daily Breeze report on Monday, March 2.—
Pat Maio,
Oc Register,
3 Mar. 2026
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But independent decisions the groups have made so far to stay clear of the conflict are a sign of the overall weakening of Iran’s network.—
Adam Geller,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Conversely, if Iran begins decomposing, its launch tempo will slow.—
John Seiler,
Oc Register,
5 Mar. 2026
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Vermicompost is a compost produced by red wiggler worms that like to decompose biowaste, such as food scraps, hygiene products and cotton clothing, recycling them rather than throwing them away.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Gang violence, death threats and a crumbling judicial system have stalled an ongoing investigation.—
David Fischer,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Last summer, the fastball effectiveness crumbled.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decay. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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