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
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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
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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
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
Nobody needs Beijing to fabricate footage of American potholes, ER bills, or decaying Amtrak cars.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026
The spacecraft runs on a radioisotope thermoelectric generator — a device that converts heat from decaying plutonium into electricity.
—Willem Marx, NPR, 19 Apr. 2026
Remove decaying wood that attracts wood-destroying pests.
—Janay Reece, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
According to the Times coverage of the incident and subsequent lawsuit, the scenes shown in the classroom included autopsies, decaying cadavers and live animals being butchered, mutilated and tortured.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
The wings serve as a protein source, which matters when your entire diet is decaying wood — a tough, low-nutrient food.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 13 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
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
Nobody needs Beijing to fabricate footage of American potholes, ER bills, or decaying Amtrak cars.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026
The spacecraft runs on a radioisotope thermoelectric generator — a device that converts heat from decaying plutonium into electricity.
—Willem Marx, NPR, 19 Apr. 2026
Remove decaying wood that attracts wood-destroying pests.
—Janay Reece, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
According to the Times coverage of the incident and subsequent lawsuit, the scenes shown in the classroom included autopsies, decaying cadavers and live animals being butchered, mutilated and tortured.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
The wings serve as a protein source, which matters when your entire diet is decaying wood — a tough, low-nutrient food.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decaying
Noun
-
Scientists at the University of South Alabama observed that mice on a high-salt diet experienced rapid deterioration in their blood vessel function.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
One is instantaneous, the brain just flips into unrecognizable thoughts, and the other is a deterioration over time.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
At last official count last year, the population in this hodgepodge of industrial plants, cow fields and ramshackle trailers was 16.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The home here is a ramshackle London town house where a famed painter, Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen), is spending his final years in a haze of creative stagnation and lingering renown.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 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
-
D4vd’s parents are coming to his defense after the platinum-selling singer was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murdering Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl found dismembered and decomposing in the trunk of his Tesla seven months ago.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The decomposing body of the teenage girl was found in the trunk of Burke’s abandoned Tesla last September, a day after her 15th birthday.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Boyd window has undergone conservation in the past, including restoration work in the 1990s to address deteriorating elements.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The film resurfaced after a collection of deteriorating nitrate reels was submitted to the Library of Congress by a Michigan man who inherited them from his great-grandfather.—
Ryan Brennan,
Sacbee.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The cast iron ensures even heat distribution and the enamel iresists fading, chipping, cracking, and staining.—
Mia Huelsbeck,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Shapiro-Ikenberry led through most of the first half of the race before fading to seventh.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the blasting afternoon sun, the stench of fermenting earth and decay steams off the marsh.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Power from radioactive decay NRD claims the battery can deliver power outputs ranging from 5 nanowatts to 500 nanowatts.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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 25 Apr. 2026.
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