degenerating

verb

present participle of degenerate
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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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 degenerating McFarland found the items inside a degenerating family trunk. — Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026 But in general, any organic media is going to start degenerating over time, and the pH is going to be higher. — Ryan Conner, Dallas Morning News, 1 Apr. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degenerating
  1. deteriorating
  2. crumbling
  3. worsening
  4. descending
  5. declining
Verb
  • But even with its new foundation and sweeping ceiling, the history of the old, deteriorating barn won’t be lost.
    — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In the four months before killing her three children and attempting to kill herself, Lindsay Clancy desperately sought help for her deteriorating mental condition.
    — Tara Bannow, STAT, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of deteriorating
Verb
  • About 70% of Florida’s reef is crumbling without enough living coral to rebuild what’s lost to erosion.
    — Nicolás Rivero, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The clean demarcations between recreation and reality necessary to protect his previous subjects come crumbling down in the face of a larger-than-life figure like Ryan.
    — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of crumbling
Verb
  • Meanwhile, the club’s short-term assets total just €529m, making for negative working capital of €376m, a €110m worsening on a year earlier.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Tighter monetary policy typically implies having higher interest rates aimed at reining in inflation or preventing it from worsening.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of worsening
Verb
  • All this coastal media was descending on this small town and characterizing it in terms of this one really bad thing.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Reusable boosters use grid fins, which interact with the surrounding airflow to steer the descending rocket toward its target.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of descending
Verb
  • Parents, students, and educators raised concerns Wednesday night about Broward County Public Schools' proposal to close several schools as the district grapples with declining enrollment and significant funding shortfalls.
    — Abby Dodge, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Across the city and the country, declining attendance has idled many religious buildings, often leading to conversions.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of declining

Browse Nearby Words

degenerates
degenerating
degeneration
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Cite this Entry

“Degenerating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degenerating. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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