as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
the decaying of the bone mass that is so regrettably common in elderly women
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in ramshackle
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in dying
Related Words
1
as in decomposing
to go through decomposition
the logs decayed on the rain forest floor the atom of plutonium decayed in the test chamber
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value
the restaurant's standards for food and service had decayed over the years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fading
to lose bodily strength or vigor
having reached her 80s, the woman could sense that her body was decaying
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decaying
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
By the time of his death in 2013, Venezuela’s economy was already decaying, its institutions hollowed, and its future mortgaged.
—Duncan S. Demarsh, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2026
Some of Tarr’s most memorable scenes feature landscapes, often bleak and despairing settings of decaying Hungarian towns, punctuated with close-ups of characters’ faces.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
These attempts to keep down the unquiet dead were, besides being desecrations, exercises in a lot of heavy and often forbidden labor done on decaying bodies.
—Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
The district, while improving its letter grade to an A in recent years, has faced numerous operational challenges, including rapidly declining enrollment, budget shortfalls, decaying facilities and leadership shakeups.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
Perhaps the biggest problem is that oil prices are too low today to justify spending the gobs of money – possibly tens of billions of dollars – that would be required to revive Venezuela’s decaying oil industry.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
The movie's title is a play on The Upside Down, the thought-to-be decaying parallel world that mirrors Hawkins, Indiana, introduced in Season 1.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
The place is decaying and strict, but Luna refuses to give in to its rules.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
For the study, Ruotsalainen measured the Q values of two double-beta decaying and one beta-decaying nucleus.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
In essence, this would mean that alpha particles (helium nuclei) released by decaying uranium (or some other fissile material) would be focused through engine nozzles to generate thrust.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
By the time of his death in 2013, Venezuela’s economy was already decaying, its institutions hollowed, and its future mortgaged.
—Duncan S. Demarsh, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2026
Some of Tarr’s most memorable scenes feature landscapes, often bleak and despairing settings of decaying Hungarian towns, punctuated with close-ups of characters’ faces.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
These attempts to keep down the unquiet dead were, besides being desecrations, exercises in a lot of heavy and often forbidden labor done on decaying bodies.
—Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
The district, while improving its letter grade to an A in recent years, has faced numerous operational challenges, including rapidly declining enrollment, budget shortfalls, decaying facilities and leadership shakeups.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
Perhaps the biggest problem is that oil prices are too low today to justify spending the gobs of money – possibly tens of billions of dollars – that would be required to revive Venezuela’s decaying oil industry.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
The movie's title is a play on The Upside Down, the thought-to-be decaying parallel world that mirrors Hawkins, Indiana, introduced in Season 1.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
The place is decaying and strict, but Luna refuses to give in to its rules.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decaying
Noun
-
With the deterioration and rise of crime in South Beach in the late 1970s, as well as inflation and the shrinking tourist business, the Famous was forced to close in 1981.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
-
While analysts do not expect the rift to escalate into direct conflict, even a limited deterioration could carry far-reaching consequences.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN Money,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The Yous’ home, the eye-popping standout of Ryu Seong-hie’s production design, is a similarly enormous but earthier, more ramshackle affair.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
23 Dec. 2025
-
Most of the rigs are older, ramshackle models, but here and there shiny coaches broadcast the relative wealth of their inhabitants—techies who could afford an apartment but don’t want to waste their money on rent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Garden centers aren't giving a refund for a dying or dead plant but rather a discount on a new purchase.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
For nearly two weeks before embarking on the cross-country road trip, the teenager lived with his parents’ decomposing bodies.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The earthy scent of decomposing leaves and soil contributes to the smell.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For now, all that can be said for certain, judging by the latest implosion in his current employers West Ham’s fast-deteriorating season, is that nobody has benefited from his falling-out with Edu and the sequence of events that brought about Nuno’s exit from the City Ground.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Iran has been racked by protests over the past several days around deteriorating economic conditions in the country, made worse by a growing water crisis and severe sanctions against Tehran.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But her role as fading movie star Kay Stone in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, opposite Timothée Chalamet, marks her grand return.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The days of underground stashes and whispered conversations are fading fast.—
Amplified Content Studio,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Keep the mulch at least two inches away from woody stems to prevent decay and disease.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The Tyranids represent man's fear of the natural world, nature's inexorable ability to overwhelm, decay, and devour all of man's greatest works.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The result was a gleaming skyscraper held up by some rickety wooden boards, duct tape, and magic.—
Ian Stokes,
Space.com,
14 Nov. 2025
-
Everything looks so rickety — this stadium wasn’t built for pandemonium like this.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decaying. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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