DETERIORATE Synonyms: 128 Similar and Opposite Words

deteriorate

verb

di-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌrāt

Definition of deteriorate

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of deteriorate The Danish shipping giant said contingency plans were in place in the event the security situation deteriorates. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 6 July 2026 Though the transplant was successful, Haggerty’s health continued to deteriorate. — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 6 July 2026 His condition deteriorated to life-threatening soon after, but his condition was stabilized. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 6 July 2026 But the conditions in nursing homes and assisted living centers around Colorado, where residents often receive as little as two hours of direct care each day, are deteriorating. — Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 5 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for deteriorate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorate

Verb

The noise progresses to a rough grinding sound and performance worsens.

— Keith Laing, USA Today, 8 July 2026
Growing evidence suggests visible light, particularly high-energy visible (blue) light from sunlight, can worsen pigmentation in people prone to melasma and in those with darker skin tones.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 7 July 2026

Definition of worsen

Verb

There’s no danger of spontaneous mass illiteracy, but the complex cognitive skills that reading fosters start to degrade.

— Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
Weather changes, tires degrade, a safety car appears, a driver reports instability or an opponent pits earlier than expected, and the team has seconds to decide whether to stay with the plan or change it.

— Erum Manzoor, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of degrade

Verb

Throughout the album, mary in the junkyard shift constantly, moving from crumbling atmospheric experiments to cloudy Pacific Northwest indie rock to the kind of straightforward classical guitar poems of Leonard Cohen’s early albums.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 7 July 2026
An islandwide blackout plunged Cuba’s nearly 10 million residents into darkness Monday, exposing a crumbling power grid and dwindling fuel reserves as officials raced to restore electricity.

— Milexsy Durán, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Definition of crumble

Verb

The flow of dark traffic is one of the factors that helped explain why oil markets had weakened significantly by early June, together with a surge in exports from the US and pullback in buying by China.

— Weilun Soon, Fortune, 5 July 2026
But as several surveys have consistently indicated, optimism about our country's outlook has undeniably weakened.

— Robert Hormats, Time, 4 July 2026

Definition of weaken

Verb

Bogdanos declined the cash, which is instead being donated to nonprofits of his choosing.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 9 July 2026
Even as remote work has declined from its pandemic highs, the data shows nearly 22% of workers still worked at least partly from home in 2025, only 1 percentage point less than the number who partly worked from home during the year prior.

— Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 9 July 2026

Definition of decline

Verb

Exploits will trigger guest-side actions alone to corrupt the host kernel’s shadow page, a data structure in the host that assists in the address translation.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026
If religion is corrupted by breaking down the wall of separation, much the same is true of the state.

— Kenneth Seeskin, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Definition of corrupt

Verb

But last weekend’s mayhem, in which thousands descended on the community and more than 400 ended up under arrest, has hit Newport Beach differently, spurring calls for the city leaders to take decisive action.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Barely a month ago, there was plenty of fretting that FIFA had grossly overestimated the crowds that would descend on the tournament’s host cities and stadiums.

— Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 9 July 2026

Definition of descend

Verb

Give ample space to large vehicles - Trucks or buses can create a water spray that diminishes visibility.

— NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 6 July 2026
The union said that unresolved complaints made against Hawk and existing climate issues have significantly diminished confidence among many educators.

— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026

Definition of diminish

Browse Nearby Words

deterging

deteriorate

deteriorated

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Deteriorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorate. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of deteriorate

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on deteriorate

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

implacable

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes