DEGENERATED Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

degenerated 1 of 2

adjective

as in deteriorated

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degenerated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of degenerate

as in worsened

to become worse or of less value over the years the community-minded organization degenerated into a club for loafers

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of degenerated

Verb

Macron’s highest aspirations to, as a modern Talleyrand, inject himself and solve global issues such as Ukraine, Africa’s Sahel, Syria, Lebanon, or Iran have fallen short, degenerated into petty feuds, or backfired. — Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026 Last fall, a Krousty Sabaïdi giveaway promoted by popular French influencer Fares Salvatore, who has more than 868,000 followers on TikTok, degenerated into mayhem when the call-out attracted 3,000 teenagers. — Vivian Song, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026 Murderous encounters dating to the Risdon Cove settlement eventually degenerated into the Black War (1804–30), a period of great physical conflict between the Aboriginal population and European settlers. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026 After a police operation in Rio de Janeiro in October degenerated into a chaotic shootout, leading to more than 120 deaths, Brazilian civil society groups reacted in horror. — Brian Winter, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025 Our national political and cultural discourse, especially online, has degenerated into a permanent fever dream. — Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025 The bear bowled Propst over backward, and the encounter degenerated into lopsided hand-to-fang combat. — John McCoy, Outdoor Life, 12 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for degenerated

Adjective

Clark said the supports are needed because equipment used in the investigation is too heavy and difficult to maneuver safely on the deteriorated floor.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
According to the officer, the decision to classify Sands' death as such was the result of the deteriorated condition of his body.

— Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 27 June 2026

Definition of deteriorated

Adjective

Watch this video for a step-by-step tutorial on how to clean corroded battery terminals.

— Cody Godwin, USA Today, 22 July 2026
Aviator’s Restaurant at Sacramento Executive Airport remains closed six months after a routine kitchen floor repair uncovered crumbling concrete, corroded rebar, asbestos and mold.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 18 July 2026

Definition of corroded

Verb

Hoyer and his front office watched as their pitching crumbled down the stretch last season.

— Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
State road officials on Saturday closed an exit on the Kennedy Expressway near Jefferson Park after part of a retaining wall crumbled.

— Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of crumbled

Adjective

Health authorities later traced the outbreak to contaminated lettuce supplied to the fast-food restaurant by Taylor Farms de Mexico.

— James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Massachusetts has seen more than 100 cyclospora cases this summer, the state Department of Public Health said Wednesday, with some illnesses apparently linked to contaminated lettuce.

— Neal Riley, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of contaminated

Verb

Two days earlier, Delhi police officers had descended on Jantar Mantar, the eighteenth-century astronomical observatory and frequent site of protests in the nation’s capital, where Wangchuk had been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28.

— Jonathan Mingle, The New York Review of Books, 1 Aug. 2026
Parking is banned on Guthrie’s stretch of Camino Escalante, a restriction that was sparked by media that descended on her quiet neighborhood in February and March.

— Stephanie Murray, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of descended

Adjective

Kevin, now 67, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about two and a half years ago and attributes his diagnosis to his polluted three-month post in the Persian Gulf.

— WUFT News, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026
Until now, businesses have not had to reduce the polluted water that flows into drains, and the costs of cleanup efforts have fallen to cities and counties, said Sean Bothwell, executive director of California Coastkeeper Alliance.

— Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

Definition of polluted

Verb

Quinn declined, however, to move Coleman earlier in camp when starting center Nick Allegretti went down with a calf injury, opting instead to use Julian Good-Jones and let Coleman focus on left guard.

— Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
The case was rejected by the District Attorney’s office in April 2024, and the Santa Monica City Attorney’s office declined to press charges.

— Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of declined

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“Degenerated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degenerated. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of degenerated

adjective

verb

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