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
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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
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Recent Examples of degenerates
Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026
In all vertebrates, the thymus degenerates very rapidly with age.
—Mallory Locklear, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
Ike Barinholtz may play degenerates well, but, off screen, the writer, comedian and star is something of a trivia savant.
—Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 3 Mar. 2026
What should be a gripping thriller centered on new, uncharted technology and questionable loyalties degenerates into a jumbled mess.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 27 Dec. 2025
If this group of hardened degenerates was able to enjoy the action at this level, who, exactly, are the spiritual victims of sports betting?
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025
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
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
The product exploded, generating trillions and minting a new class of crypto degenerates who were willing to take massive risks that, occasionally, resulted in millions.
—Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026
In all vertebrates, the thymus degenerates very rapidly with age.
—Mallory Locklear, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
Ike Barinholtz may play degenerates well, but, off screen, the writer, comedian and star is something of a trivia savant.
—Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 3 Mar. 2026
What should be a gripping thriller centered on new, uncharted technology and questionable loyalties degenerates into a jumbled mess.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 27 Dec. 2025
If this group of hardened degenerates was able to enjoy the action at this level, who, exactly, are the spiritual victims of sports betting?
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025
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
Verb
Volume 1 about a troubled pregnant woman who accepts an invite to a dinner party which degenerates into a bloody and demented nightmare.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degenerates
Noun
-
Nora Ephron for depressed perverts.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2026
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Also, what many now interpret as Kubrick’s exposé of elite perverts was, in fact, mostly Schnitzler’s doing.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Hospitals use the same billing codes for the ER visit, whether a patient’s condition deteriorates or not.—
Andrew Jones,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
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Her condition rapidly deteriorates to the point where Abbott and Robby are forced to do a C-Section in the ER, with seconds to spare to save her life and the life of the baby.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As Delphi’s star rises, P Burke becomes enthralled by her and descends into a tech psychosis with disastrous consequences.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
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Cooper Neill / Getty Images May is the final month before the excitement of the 2026 World Cup descends upon the sports world.—
John Riker,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Like the impish anti-romance that crumbles around it, the movie’s twist is both transgressive enough to be pleased with itself and also rooted in a reality that refuses to be dismissed as a bad joke.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
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Loyalty, betrayal, illness and war all bear down on the group as the old order crumbles around them.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As the illness worsens, more severe symptoms can develop, like coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath as fluid builds up in the lungs.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
-
Pain in the hand, wrist and thumb that worsens or prevents you from gripping, pinching or holding items.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
The book club always politely declines, given its specific chemistry.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
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Interest rates don't tell the full story One supposed silver-lining in the economy of 2026 that consumers had been hopeful was still ahead is a lower-rate environment as inflation declines, but the war and the surge in oil prices has upended the policymaking assumptions of central banks.—
Kevin Williams,
CNBC,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Degenerates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degenerates. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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