Synonyms of decays

decays

verb

present tense third-person singular of decay

1

as in decomposes

to go through decomposition

the logs decayed on the rain forest floor

the atom of plutonium decayed in the test chamber

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decomposes
• disintegrates
• rots
• perishes
• deteriorates
• corrupts
• festers
• molds
• descends
• crumbles
• spoils
• putrefies
• falls apart
• turns
• breaks down
• sours
• goes to seed
• fouls
• contaminates
• pollutes
• rusts
• ferments
• molders
• taints
• defiles
• mortifies
• curdles
• sinks
• degenerates
• turns off
• declines
• withers
• addles
• dilapidates

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• grows
• ages
• develops
• matures
• ripens
• restores
• refreshes
• renews
• purifies
• cleanses
• integrates
• improves
• composes
• assembles
• ameliorates
• betters
• meliorates

2

as in deteriorates

to become worse or of less value

the restaurant's standards for food and service had decayed over the years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deteriorates
• crumbles
• descends
• worsens
• declines
• rots
• diminishes
• sinks
• atrophies
• degenerates
• devolves
• regresses
• ebbs
• weakens
• disintegrates
• decomposes
• goes to pot
• retrogrades
• goes to seed
• falls
• wanes
• recedes
• degrades
• sags
• dwindles
• sours
• putrefies
• downsizes
• slips
• reduces
• corrupts
• abates
• undermines
• droops
• debilitates
• languishes
• lags
• spoils
• de-escalates
• breaks down
• fails
• lessens
• runs down
• dilapidates
• wilts
• lowers
• molders
• wastes (away)
• flags

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improves
• ameliorates
• upgrades
• enhances
• intensifies
• enriches
• progresses
• develops
• strengthens
• meliorates
• heightens
• proceeds
• fortifies
• advances
• marches
• betters

3

as in fades

to lose bodily strength or vigor

having reached her 80s, the woman could sense that her body was decaying

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fades
• weakens
• sags
• goes
• sinks
• fails
• deteriorates
• droops
• lags
• languishes
• withers
• wilts
• wastes (away)
• flags
• emaciates
• rots
• yields
• breaks down
• wears out
• degenerates
• runs down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recovers
• recuperates
• rebounds
• rallies
• gains
• convalesces

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of decays

Rituals are performed, oaths proposed and broken, and tensions escalate as the unburied body decays. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026

Control concentrated in one person dies with that person, decays with that person's judgment, and converts to cash the day that person takes a hard enough offer. — Kyle Westaway, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Europe will not be able to defend itself militarily if democracy decays internally. — Wendell Wallach, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026

In theory, beryllium-8 normally decays into two helium-4 nuclei. — Big Think, 19 Mar. 2026

This state then decays through a two-step cascade, releasing two photons in rapid succession. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 8 Mar. 2026

But Daye naturally decays at the end of each season, unless she is rebuilt using the branches, berries, and blooms of the next. — Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026

Grief gets layered on top of grief and secrets stack sky high as suburban normalcy decays into something at once alarmingly unstable and comfortingly funny. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2025

This famously happens when a quantum object is measured, but in this case, the mystery crops up when the top quark decays into lighter particles. — Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 25 Nov. 2025