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
His condition, meanwhile, continued to deteriorate as the months passed.
—
Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026
His mental health has severely deteriorated, his financial situation is terrible, and his drug dependency is at its worst.
—Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
With each loader carrying upwards of 30 of these shells a day, the physical strain can be very real and quickly lead to deteriorating performance.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
The film resurfaced after a collection of deteriorating nitrate reels was submitted to the Library of Congress by a Michigan man who inherited them from his great-grandfather.
—Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026
His mental health has severely deteriorated, his financial situation is terrible, and his drug dependency is at its worst.
—Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
With each loader carrying upwards of 30 of these shells a day, the physical strain can be very real and quickly lead to deteriorating performance.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
The film resurfaced after a collection of deteriorating nitrate reels was submitted to the Library of Congress by a Michigan man who inherited them from his great-grandfather.
—Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorate
Verb
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The scale and location of the development have drawn concern from some residents, who say the project could worsen traffic congestion and may not be affordable for middle-class families.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, the global memory crisis has worsened, forcing tech giants to pay up for the capacity needed to satisfy their data center ambitions.—
Jordan Novet,Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Our objective has always been to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure to the point where diplomacy and a sovereign Lebanese government can take over under Lebanon’s confessional system, reflecting Christian, Sunni and Shiite interests.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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Actively removing litter from the coasts can reduce the amount of debris that may degrade into harmful microplastics.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That order is crumbling, and many of our former strengths built on our close ties to the United States have become our weaknesses.—
Keely Bastow,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Apr. 2026
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The top of his head drilled Bona’s chest, and the Celtics guard crumbled to the court, holding his neck.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The deeper the rifts between the United States and Europe over Iran, the greater the chances of weakening the NATO alliance.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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During his appearances on Capitol Hill this month, Secretary Kennendy was grilled about the administration's defense of the pesticide industry and weakening of protections against mercury pollution, another issue that Kennedy had worked on as an advocate.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sturm declined comment on the elbow.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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The Nuggets refused to engage, declining to respond on the off day.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, what the young Valdi captures on these early scenes is the sense that whatever love Michael had for music and performance had become immediately corrupted.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
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One nanny will try to get to the bottom of it before all the partying, power and privilege corrupts her.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But despite that meeting, on Monday, more than 1,000 MAHA advocates will descend on the Supreme Court to protest the administration’s support for Bayer in a case on the handling of the herbicide glyphosate, the main chemical in RoundUp.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Apr. 2026
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The all-women Japanese promotion also performed in the Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort during the week as pro wrestling fans descended on the city ahead of WrestleMania 42.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Even the most ambitious stories often felt exhausted by the third installment, with diminishing creative and financial returns.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
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Israel has repeatedly criticized the Lebanese government for not doing enough to diminish Hezbollah’s capabilities.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deteriorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorate. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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