as in perverts
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard
a degenerate who is uninterested in anything but his own gratification
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in deteriorates
to become worse or of less value
over the years the community-minded organization degenerated into a club for loafers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 degenerates
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
Once Gacy is caught, the media runs with the details — all those bodies crammed in that crawlspace, some of them buried in trenches Gacy made his employees dig out — and paints his victims as runaways or degenerates who put themselves in danger.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degenerates
Verb
-
Exposure to such content also deteriorates her audience’s ability to form beliefs on the basis of the evidence and primes them for skepticism toward consequential matters like vaccines and medicine.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
16 Oct. 2025
-
There is still plenty of long-term risk, depending on the rate at which Connor’s game deteriorates in his 30s.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In a 20-second black and white video of the strike posted to X, a small boat can be seen apparently sitting motionless on the water when a long thin projectile descends on it, triggering an explosion.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
As music and dance meld in celebration of artistry, culture and history, an evil descends, threatening to devour the fabric and heart of the community — and all that Smoke and Stack have worked to achieve.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Toby’s display, overall, looks a lot nicer, but when Paul goes to take a slice of his cake from the chocolate case, the whole thing crumbles to a mess.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
-
At times, the house would break apart onstage, with the top half lifted in the air, only for YoungBoy to start aggressively rapping, standing supreme while the house crumbles around him.—
Jayson Buford,
Rolling Stone,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Just like a traditional hangover, ignoring the need to rest only worsens an introvert hangover.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Chronic brain inflammation contributes to neuronal death and worsens amyloid and tau pathology.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In older men, as testosterone naturally declines, gynecomastia becomes more common, often combined with weight gain or medications that alter hormone levels.—
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Nazareth now declines to confirm whether the deal has been finalized off-screen or not.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degenerates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degenerates. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share