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
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
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
Verb
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Kennedy Center leadership is conducting tours with congressional staff and donors to demonstrate that the building needs major renovation due to water damage, HVAC issues and deteriorating infrastructure.—
Steven Sloan,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
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Lake County has taken the first steps towards absorbing the responsibilities of the essentially defunct Del Mar Woods Sanitary District, a tiny government unit consisting of a subdivision with fewer than 90 lots and deteriorating sewer pipes.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Other signs warned of danger from crumbling masonry overhead, though there was none of the scaffolding that might accompany such notices.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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The search for the source Why does finding a hidden, crumbling asteroid matter?—
Patrick M. Shober,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Alice Ribes, emergency country director for the International Rescue Committee in Haiti, said millions continue to face a worsening crisis marked by escalating violence, hunger and starvation, forced displacement of people from their homes and outbreaks of disease.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2026
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Flooding is worsening in parts of Michigan on Friday, with rivers still rising in some parts and receding in others.—
Terrance Friday,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After separation, the weapon follows a steep ballistic trajectory, descending at high velocity toward its target.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Apr. 2026
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That, of course, can’t last forever, and soon enough, the entire family is descending on Malcolm’s life, turning it upside down.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office also reviewed evidence from West Jordan before declining to file charges.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
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Birth rates and fertility trends The administration is overhauling Title X in the context of declining birth rates.—
Dr. Céline Gounder,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Degenerating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degenerating. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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