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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in rotting
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
1
as in ramshackle
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in dying
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decaying
Ron Scherf, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Their decaying carcasses led to the rapid deterioration of water quality and an explosion of harmful bacteria, researchers said.
—Lauren Liebhaber
september 5, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
The film is set within a decaying Khmer Rouge–era tenement in Phnom Penh.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Twenty-seven years later, its pages are vanilla-sweet, from the decaying lignin; the imprint was long ago absorbed into another.
—Carmen Maria MacHado, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
Though hostas can be pruned in spring, it’s not recommended since those decaying leaves can harbor pests and diseases over the winter and eventually kill the plant.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
These gorgeous gourds can stay out all season long without decaying.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2025
The microorganisms living in the microbial mat feed on decaying organic material.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Perhaps dark energy is changing or decaying over time.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Researchers from each, plus the United States, were attempting to decipher the challenges presented by opposing either a regime or a decaying democracy.
—Ron Scherf, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Their decaying carcasses led to the rapid deterioration of water quality and an explosion of harmful bacteria, researchers said.
—Lauren Liebhaber
september 5, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
The film is set within a decaying Khmer Rouge–era tenement in Phnom Penh.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Twenty-seven years later, its pages are vanilla-sweet, from the decaying lignin; the imprint was long ago absorbed into another.
—Carmen Maria MacHado, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
Though hostas can be pruned in spring, it’s not recommended since those decaying leaves can harbor pests and diseases over the winter and eventually kill the plant.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
These gorgeous gourds can stay out all season long without decaying.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2025
The microorganisms living in the microbial mat feed on decaying organic material.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Perhaps dark energy is changing or decaying over time.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decaying
Noun
-
These ingredients reflect a growing shift in pet wellness away from simply slowing joint deterioration and toward rebuilding comfort, restoring flexibility, and reducing inflammation at the source.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
-
But the deployment of—among others—three destroyers, at least one submarine and an amphibious ready group (ARG) filled with Marines is a further deterioration in the poor relationship between Washington and Caracas that appears to have spooked Maduro.—
Ellie Cook
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Buy fresh-looking pumpkins without blemishes, soft spots, or rotting stems.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
7 Sep. 2025
-
It can also be used to describe the brain-rotting content itself.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In both Camp 6 and another detention facility, migrants reported unsanitary conditions, poor hygiene and deteriorating infrastructure.—
Mauricio Torres,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
-
By then, the humanitarian situation was deteriorating quickly.—
Tom Bowman,
NPR,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But the data shows the dream is fading.—
Frank Holmes,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Now go claim the best Labor Day clothing sales before they—and summer itself—set like the fading sun.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Glamour,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Extra-Terrestrial, but technology — as Spielberg frames it through Elliott’s eyes — is a kind of ramshackle magic that offers the promise of love and transcendence.—
Jeremy Dauber,
HollywoodReporter,
31 July 2025
-
On a May morning in 2012, a ramshackle walkway at a Southeast Austin apartment complex collapsed.—
Ella McCarthy,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Noun
-
Exposure to warm, humid air and bugs in the outdoors will speed up the decay even more.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The quest has led us down many theoretically interesting avenues, spawning ideas like extra dimensions, supersymmetry, proton decay, string theory, and many others.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sometimes higher levels could mean more decomposing vegetation, not animal feces.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Investigators found 189 decomposing bodies stored at room temperature at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose in 2023 and charged owners Jon and Carie Hallford with abuse of a corpse, theft and forgery.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The film got some of the best reviews at Sundance in January, then went to Berlin, where Rose Byrne got that festival’s Best Actress prize for her role as a mother who’s crumbling under the pressure of (among other things) a sick kid and a flooded apartment.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
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The catalyst for this a meeting with the school’s board — who look more like trustafarian hedge managers than social workers — where it is revealed that the grand but crumbling school building is going to be sold off at the end of the year.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decaying. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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