1
as in to worsen
to become worse or of less value
the garden slowly deteriorated after months of neglect
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
childish name-calling that merely deteriorates what should be a serious discussion on an important issue
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deteriorate
Early on in the 2018-19 season, Durant’s final year with the Warriors, his relationship with Green deteriorated after an on-court dispute during a November game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
—
Jordy Fee-Platt, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2025
The movie, adapted from Ariana Harwicz’s novel of the same name and following a new mother whose mental health starts deteriorating amid their isolated Montana surroundings, features one of Lawrence’s gutsiest, most visceral performances to date.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
As their way of life has deteriorated, traditional skills have been lost, such as the skill to navigate the open ocean, a necessity for commerce and even reproduction.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
During an earnings call Wednesday, Lyons said Argentina’s deteriorating economic environment contributed to slowing growth and margin disappointment.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Jordy Fee-Platt, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2025
The movie, adapted from Ariana Harwicz’s novel of the same name and following a new mother whose mental health starts deteriorating amid their isolated Montana surroundings, features one of Lawrence’s gutsiest, most visceral performances to date.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
As their way of life has deteriorated, traditional skills have been lost, such as the skill to navigate the open ocean, a necessity for commerce and even reproduction.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
During an earnings call Wednesday, Lyons said Argentina’s deteriorating economic environment contributed to slowing growth and margin disappointment.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorate
Verb
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Their fate worsened when star striker Barbra Banda, who was crowned NWSL Championship MVP last year, was injured during a mid-August match, ending her season.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
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Esperance, the human-rights advocate who once opposed a foreign intervention and has since changed his mind as the gang violence worsens, said any election held now would in effect turn the country over to the gangs.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Mirrors have poor reflectivity and degrade fast, while normal lenses absorb XUV light and stretch the attosecond pulses, blurring their precision.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
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Wallin points out that half of the world’s GDP, amounting to $44 trillion, is directly dependent on nature, yet the essential systems that support economic stability continue to be degraded.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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That quest comes to a screeching halt due to the 2008 recession, as Jackie scrambles to adjust to a new lifestyle while husband David struggles to keep his timeshare empire from crumbling.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Nov. 2025
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Instead, Chenoweth finds the humanity inside the caricature, capturing the contradictions that made Jackie a pop-culture fascination — her drive for success, her humor, and yes, even her delusion to keep believing in a fantasy when the walls around her are literally crumbling.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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With some estimates putting wave heights as much as 35 feet, weakened hatch covers would have been vulnerable to such waves.—
Stephen J. Beard,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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The years of horrific violence have weakened Sudan, plunging its institutions into chaos and making its population more vulnerable and poorer.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In a social media video, Madi said her father's health declined in the months following an early-stage prostate cancer diagnosis.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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The Administration submitted an emergency filing to the Supreme Court after an appeals court declined to block the injunction.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But Strummer always had a puritanical zeal about his punk mission and a terror of getting corrupted by fame.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
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Elites stirred up a now familiar moral panic about commerce corrupting letters and mocked Grub Street even as its writers built the first modern freelance economy and mass-print culture.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The trail stays level early on and crosses the road a couple of times before descending through a grove of Arizona cypress to a shallow drainage.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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The Senate’s negotiations on reopening the government are descending into another impasse.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Not to diminish, but anybody can create their own AI characters, right?—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
11 Nov. 2025
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The institutions built to prevent such suffering are straining under the weight of geopolitical rivalries, eroding trust, and diminishing political will.—
ARIF HUSAIN,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deteriorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorate. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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