as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value
over the years the community-minded organization degenerated into a club for loafers
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Recent Examples of degenerating
Scientists have hailed the benefits of exercising early in life to lower the risk of your brain degenerating later.
—
Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025
In the Pacific, meteorologists are watching to see how much rain the degenerating Tropical Storm Mario could carry into the San Diego region.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025
In the Pacific, meteorologists are watching to see how much rain the degenerating Tropical Storm Mario could carry into the San Diego region.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degenerating
Verb
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Blackouts now last most of the day in many Cuban cities, tourism is dwindling, and some foreign companies have begun to pull their personnel from the island amid deteriorating conditions.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
17 Mar. 2026
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Loose or deteriorating flashings, which can be caused by harsh winter weather and changing temperatures, are one of the most common sources of roof leaks.—
Asia London Palomba,
The Spruce,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Toki died waiting in a filthy, crumbling tank at one of the oldest marine parks in the world.—
Valerie Greene,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
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No player on this Florida roster has watched an SEC Championship before, yet now the Gators get the pleasure of waiting and seeing whether their crumbling still warrants a spot along the top-seed line.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The country is facing a worsening economic crisis.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
13 Mar. 2026
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Worries are worsening that the war could block the production of oil in the Persian Gulf for a long time and cause a debilitating surge of inflation for the global economy.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Footage from the scene shows the paraglider descending toward a slope filled with skiers and snowboarders.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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On Wednesday, astronomer and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell reported that a large collection of Starlink satellites has been descending, cutting the distance for the satellite beams to reach Earth.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Haithcock said schools have been financially hamstrung since Act 10 – the Scott Walker-era landmark law in 2011 that curtailed union bargaining power and cut take-home pay for workers – especially amid declining student enrollment.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
19 Mar. 2026
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While an unconventional choice for the typically squeaky-clean Bachelor franchise, a soft-swinging TikTok influencer turned reality star at first sounded like the 180 the franchise desperately needed after years of declining ratings and a seemingly outdated format amid modern dating culture.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Degenerating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degenerating. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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