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
Cruz was responding to another post from Tehran Bureau, which cited a source inside Iran detailing what was described as a rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground as security forces continued to crack down on demonstrations.
—
Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Emily Demirdonder, director of operations and marketing at Proximity Plumbing, said the rubber backing deteriorates in hot water and breaks apart during the spin cycle, and those fragments can block drain pumps and drainage pipes—sometimes leading to flooding and machine failure.
—Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 28 Jan. 2026
Roth and his co-counsel, Danielle Iredale, said their client’s health has deteriorated since being incarcerated.
—Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Staffing shortages, deteriorating facilities, contraband, misconduct, and weak oversight have become familiar themes in the OIG’s annual Top Management and Performance Challenges reports.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Emily Demirdonder, director of operations and marketing at Proximity Plumbing, said the rubber backing deteriorates in hot water and breaks apart during the spin cycle, and those fragments can block drain pumps and drainage pipes—sometimes leading to flooding and machine failure.
—Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 28 Jan. 2026
Roth and his co-counsel, Danielle Iredale, said their client’s health has deteriorated since being incarcerated.
—Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Staffing shortages, deteriorating facilities, contraband, misconduct, and weak oversight have become familiar themes in the OIG’s annual Top Management and Performance Challenges reports.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorate
Verb
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Capelouto Software stock slide worsens on AI fears US software stocks sank further Tuesday on swelling investor fears that new AI tools will eat their lunch.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Certain behaviors can worsen food noise.—
Shiv Sudhakar,
FOXNews.com,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Infrastructure in Venezuela is severely degraded, and any meaningful revival would likely require more than $100 billion in investment over a decade.—
Amena Bakr,
semafor.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Because the state has a progressive tax system that collects larger portions of its revenue from the wealthy, Newsom argued the flight of just small numbers of billionaires could significantly degrade the state’s budget pictures in the long run.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The old guard is crumbling, as the NCAA no longer regulates the economic exchange of value between schools and their players—not to mention the outside intervention of third-party interests.—
Dr. Marcus Collins,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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But questions kept coming, and my trust was crumbling.—
Margaret Keane,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In overwhelmingly Democratic districts, the outcome is almost always predetermined, further depressing turnout and weakening accountability.—
Grace Rauh,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
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Healthy Rivers and Landscapes’ flexibility represents potentially weakened enforceable safeguards for environmental and tribal groups, as the program relies on voluntary commitments instead of mandatory flow standards.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Coleman declined to pursue the case, a police report said.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Across the other devices, both Mac and Wearables, Home & Accessories sales declined year over year, while the market anticipated slight growth.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But now, federal prosecutors say Hennen is the fixer behind the biggest point-shaving scandal in history, accused of bribing 39 college players, corrupting 17 programs and fixing — or trying fix — 29 games to enrich himself and other gamblers.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
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Tracy Anderson believes most people today have had their attention spans hijacked by social media and their perception of beauty corrupted by trends.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Then, later, more than 1,000 fans descended on Old Trafford itself, with hundreds gaining access to the stadium and getting onto the pitch, eventually causing the match, which was due to be aired live on Sky Sports, to be postponed.—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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Has not the potential of violence been lit up when local law enforcement is nowhere to be found when protesters and agitators descend upon the hotels where ICE is staying?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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However, as time went on, these differentiators diminished.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Feb. 2026
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Even though the software is extremely limited right now—people can explore their AI worlds for only one minute—investors worry the service may eventually diminish the influence of major studios.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deteriorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorate. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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