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
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decaying
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
Dan Simms, USA Today, 15 May 2026
The transformation of decaying riads into hotels has often meant aiding the restoration of Marrakech’s UNESCO heritage site.
—Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Fruit flies are attracted to organic matter, like decaying fruits and vegetables.
—Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 13 May 2026
The Professor, with only her ex-partner’s cat for company, sits in her decaying apartment and grieves the loss of her relationship and her struggle with infertility.
—Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
What showed up when those compounds were represented with colors on a plume map and compared with dozens of control-point samples of nearby soil indicated the presence of a decaying body, according to Eckenrode.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
There was nothing quaint about the making of Apocalypse Now, for which Tavoularis created a nightmarish jungle kingdom with a decaying temple — inspired by the ancient Angkor Wat in Cambodia — as its centerpiece.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
By removing the decaying cells created by the high-salt diet, the drug allowed the remaining healthy tissue to maintain its elasticity and respond correctly to blood flow demands.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
The wood building, including a section that dates to 1666, has been vacant and decaying for at least 15 years.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2026
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
Indoor plants won’t always attract earwigs, but decaying plant matter or mold in the soil, issues that are common with over watering, will.
—Dan Simms, USA Today, 15 May 2026
The transformation of decaying riads into hotels has often meant aiding the restoration of Marrakech’s UNESCO heritage site.
—Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Fruit flies are attracted to organic matter, like decaying fruits and vegetables.
—Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 13 May 2026
The Professor, with only her ex-partner’s cat for company, sits in her decaying apartment and grieves the loss of her relationship and her struggle with infertility.
—Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
What showed up when those compounds were represented with colors on a plume map and compared with dozens of control-point samples of nearby soil indicated the presence of a decaying body, according to Eckenrode.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
There was nothing quaint about the making of Apocalypse Now, for which Tavoularis created a nightmarish jungle kingdom with a decaying temple — inspired by the ancient Angkor Wat in Cambodia — as its centerpiece.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
By removing the decaying cells created by the high-salt diet, the drug allowed the remaining healthy tissue to maintain its elasticity and respond correctly to blood flow demands.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
The wood building, including a section that dates to 1666, has been vacant and decaying for at least 15 years.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decaying
Noun
-
The following month, the Veterans Administration filed a report stating that the Nautilus Veterans Hospital was in a severe state of deterioration, mostly because of the dampness from the sea air, which caused the concrete’s steel rods to rust and give way.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
-
The switch in alliances has coincided with the rapid deterioration of the security situation in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
The entire thing is a beautifully chaotic blank canvas for Sacramento’s music community to collaborate and mishmash within itself, to forge a platoon of one-off troupes and ramshackle supergroups — check out some prior videos on the event’s Instagram.—
Aaron Davis,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
-
If the several buildings the report says Taxpayer 1 was delinquent on taxes included, say, a bar or ramshackle eyesores, that will look like something other than Stewart extending kindness to a stranger.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
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
-
The search was prompted by soil vapor sampling, an experimental technology that detected volatile organic compounds potentially associated with decomposing human remains — though the method remains unproven in criminal investigations.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
-
Carie Hallford was sentenced to 30 years for her role in a scheme that involved hiding nearly 200 decomposing bodies.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mohammadi’s family said her health had been deteriorating in prison, in part because she was heavily beaten during her arrest.—
Sarah el Deeb,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
In recent years, the island’s deteriorating infrastructure has been a backdrop for violence, neglect, and death; a federal judge has deemed its conditions unconstitutional.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
While fading blooms typically wilt or go limp, wilting of foliage or plant stems is a sign the plant is water stressed.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
-
Avoid placing rugs in prolonged direct sunlight as this can cause fading.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
But more than a decade of decay and corruption scandals have created an infrastructure chokepoint.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
15 May 2026
-
Helium-4 is naturally produced in the mantle through the decay of uranium and thorium, so there’s a lot of it.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
For years, many of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority have embarked on rickety wooden boats to try to reach neighbouring countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, in a bid to flee persecution in Myanmar or overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Your sunnies should be comfortable and durable, not rickety!—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decaying. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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