1
as in deterioration
a change to a lower state or level
the organization's degeneration from a movement for political reform to just another political party
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2
as in weakening
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
the troubling degeneration of his memory since he reached middle age
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3
as in degradation
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior
the general degeneration that characterized so many old mining towns, which had only drinking and gambling for entertainment
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degeneration
And their medial knee cartilage showed less worsening, suggesting slower cartilage degeneration.
—
New Atlas, 12 Aug. 2025
According to Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, progressive degeneration of brain tissue in people with CTE includes the buildup of an abnormal protein called tau in a pattern that distinguishes it from other diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
—Jimmy Golen, Chicago Tribune, 30 July 2025
An autopsy must reveal evidence of tissue degeneration and abnormal clumps of certain proteins around blood vessels in the brain.
—Shreya Srinivasan, NBC news, 29 July 2025
Interestingly, a combination of two cancer drugs stood out: Research in mice showed that this combination reduced brain degeneration and restored memory, according to findings recently published in Cell, pointing towards a potent treatment path never considered before.
—Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for degeneration
New Atlas, 12 Aug. 2025
According to Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, progressive degeneration of brain tissue in people with CTE includes the buildup of an abnormal protein called tau in a pattern that distinguishes it from other diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
—Jimmy Golen, Chicago Tribune, 30 July 2025
An autopsy must reveal evidence of tissue degeneration and abnormal clumps of certain proteins around blood vessels in the brain.
—Shreya Srinivasan, NBC news, 29 July 2025
Interestingly, a combination of two cancer drugs stood out: Research in mice showed that this combination reduced brain degeneration and restored memory, according to findings recently published in Cell, pointing towards a potent treatment path never considered before.
—Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for degeneration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degeneration
Noun
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Whitney Portal will observe sharp deterioration in conditions with extreme danger to hikers and campers unprepared for the winter weather.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Casualties among Gaza’s police force during the two-year conflict have contributed to a deterioration in security, with looting of aid becoming commonplace.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That was obviously the weakening of your internal khozayka.—
Julia Ioffe,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
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Despite its weakening power, heavy rain associated with the storm has already stretched as far north as the Desert Southwest.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In her article, Jane reminds us that meat consumption is responsible for animal suffering and environmental degradation.—
Lisa Wade,
Mercury News,
19 Oct. 2025
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Overall, the most prevalent cause of bird population declines is habitat loss and degradation, driven especially by agricultural expansion and intensification and logging, the IUCN said.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That research has also linked ultraprocessed foods to health concerns like obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline and cardiovascular disease.—
Alice Callahan,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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These participants tended to report good physical health and strong social relationships, but their testing revealed small declines in memory and emotional awareness.—
Faye Chiu,
CNN Money,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The setting catches America at a point of transition between an era of middle-class prosperity and the economic decay that was on the horizon.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
18 Oct. 2025
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Some nuclei will be stable against decays, others will undergo one or more decays (radioactively) before producing a stable end-product.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Decades of mismanagement, underinvestment and corruption have strained the power grid of Iraq, which is OPEC's second-largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia.—
Emma Graham,
CNBC,
15 Oct. 2025
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Madagascar has seen weeks of protests, initially spurred by shortages of water and power but now encompassing deeper unhappiness over corruption, inflation, and high unemployment.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Presenting their findings in a lengthy declination memo, the prosecutors explicitly mentioned the two other investigations to bolster their recommendation that probable cause does not exist to charge Comey, according to sources familiar with the contents of the memo.—
Katherine Faulders,
ABC News,
6 Oct. 2025
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On those three dates, variations in the moon's position relative to Earth's equator — particularly its declination — can influence tidal forces that subtly affect Earth's rotation rate.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degeneration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degeneration. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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