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
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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
News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Searching the room for clues, Hole spots a decaying hand arranged on the shelf with the thumb removed and the index finger pointing upwards — to the fifth floor.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
But this structure went up in a public park in the heart of Paris, not on the decaying waterfront of a former industrial city seeking regeneration.
—Julian Rose, Artforum, 26 Mar. 2026
But the one proposed in Hartford comes between a bailout and the current reality of decaying infrastructure.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2026
Chunks of decaying organic matter, and the spaces made by the creatures that feed on it, make the soil lighter and more porous.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
Rusting agricultural equipment and decaying barns gave the sci-fi story an eerie texture that’s strangely suited to a movie theater in a trailer.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2026
Ironically, two officers arrive minutes later—not to remove the decaying body but to rip Marcelo off.
—Elena Clavarino, Air Mail, 14 Mar. 2026
That lurid fable was followed by 2023’s Pictures of Ghosts, an impressionistic documentary that told the parallel stories of Mendonça Filho’s life in movies and Recife’s decaying cinemas.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 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
Major dental work to remove her broken and decaying teeth, concentrated nutrition, antibiotics, vaccines, a spay surgery and an introduction to such simple luxuries as an indoor bed and gentle touch have all been part of Gertie’s healing.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Searching the room for clues, Hole spots a decaying hand arranged on the shelf with the thumb removed and the index finger pointing upwards — to the fifth floor.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
But this structure went up in a public park in the heart of Paris, not on the decaying waterfront of a former industrial city seeking regeneration.
—Julian Rose, Artforum, 26 Mar. 2026
But the one proposed in Hartford comes between a bailout and the current reality of decaying infrastructure.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2026
Chunks of decaying organic matter, and the spaces made by the creatures that feed on it, make the soil lighter and more porous.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
Rusting agricultural equipment and decaying barns gave the sci-fi story an eerie texture that’s strangely suited to a movie theater in a trailer.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2026
Ironically, two officers arrive minutes later—not to remove the decaying body but to rip Marcelo off.
—Elena Clavarino, Air Mail, 14 Mar. 2026
That lurid fable was followed by 2023’s Pictures of Ghosts, an impressionistic documentary that told the parallel stories of Mendonça Filho’s life in movies and Recife’s decaying cinemas.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decaying
Noun
-
Lifting them exposes the materials to rapid changes in pressure, temperature, and oxygen levels, which can accelerate deterioration or trigger instability.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The dramatic move offers the latest evidence of the deterioration in relations between Lebanon and Iran.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Back in the sixties, the ramshackle War on Poverty left a memory of futility.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
-
In a few short years, Prager had carved out an expansive life as a Caribbean kingpin, transforming the ramshackle smuggling operation into a sophisticated, multicrew organization that moved tens of thousands of pounds of pot.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 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
-
In the weeks that followed the cyclone, more than 20 decomposing bodies washed ashore in Italy and Libya while other human remains were spotted floating in the middle of the sea.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Detectives said the victim’s body had already begun decomposing.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
First, can spores and nutrients in a solid form be mixed in a workable concrete without deteriorating it?—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The alert, issued Monday morning, warns residents in Sunriver, Camp Sherman, Sisters and La Pine to prepare for dangerous travel and rapidly deteriorating conditions once the heavy snow strikes.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hamlin led 292 of the first 317 laps, but a caution for debris on the racetrack with 89 laps to go came out at the perfect time for Elliott, who was fading rapidly on older tires.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Blooper reels, once common in comedy films, are fading from cinema partly due to the rise of dramatic post-credit epilogues and the shift from DVDs to streaming platforms, experts say.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
If a single atom of that sample decays, the vial breaks, and the cat dies.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The universe, however, consists of matter but almost no antimatter, which exists naturally only in small quantities, created by radioactive decay and cosmic ray collisions.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Your sunnies should be comfortable and durable, not rickety!—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Still, those sorts of phony statements have deeply diminished faith in our elections and our increasingly rickety democracy.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decaying. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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