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

Verb

Five of six different brain tests showed diranersen recipients’ memory and other cognitive abilities still worsened but more slowly than those given dummy shots, Mummery said.

— Lauran Neergaard, Fortune, 14 July 2026
Neighbors who saw smoke coming from the home reached Bo and Addie before conditions worsened.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 14 July 2026

Definition of worsened

Verb

At the height of Venezuela’s earthquake response, as rescue crews searched crumbled and flattened buildings for signs of life, one worker named Tsunami was supposed to be taking a rare break in the shade.

— Tibisay Zea, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026
With the mountain of new evidence presented by the prosecution during this week’s hearings, those theories have effectively crumbled.

— Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026

Definition of crumbled

Adjective

Taco Bell has been sued at least three times in federal court this week, with plaintiffs alleging negligence, breach of warranty and violations of deceptive trade practices law for allegedly selling contaminated lettuce.

— Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
In many cases, people contract the disease by inhaling tiny droplets of contaminated water.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026

Definition of contaminated

Verb

Rescue workers, including members of the Big Bear Fire Department, descended a hill below the support structure and found the victim.

— Seamus Bozeman Follow, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2026
Visitors from the four corners of the soccer-worshipping earth descended upon our huge and beautifully chaotic country and a whole bunch of them seemed to fall in love with the place and its people.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of descended

Adjective

If one neighborhood is highly polluted but nearby communities aren’t, county-level averages would show an overall low level of pollution – even though the more detailed information would reveal a major problem to be addressed in one particular area.

— Mark Axelrod, The Conversation, 30 June 2026
Mayflies lay up to 10,000 eggs in the water, and their nymphs can't survive in water that is polluted.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 June 2026

Definition of polluted

Verb

The business remained open Saturday afternoon, but employees declined to comment on the raid when reached by phone.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 July 2026
When Britain withdrew from the Gulf, Qatar declined to fold into the federation that became the United Arab Emirates and took independence alone in 1971, under Sheikh Ahmad bin Ali, before Hamad's branch of the family held power.

— Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026

Definition of declined

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“Degenerated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degenerated. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of degenerated

adjective

verb

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