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
Obviously, with rigorous use turned up all the way, your mantles will deteriorate and need to be replaced.
—
Bestreviews, Mercury News, 29 May 2025
The relationship further deteriorated in February following Argentina’s seizure of a Venezuelan aircraft, prompting Caracas to close its airspace.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 May 2025
The relationship eventually deteriorated and that led to court filings in Japan related to the couple’s son.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 28 May 2025
Palliative care can have five stages (stable, unstable, deteriorating, terminal, and bereavement), but not all individuals progress to all the stages, and the stages may be experienced in a different order.
—Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Bestreviews, Mercury News, 29 May 2025
The relationship further deteriorated in February following Argentina’s seizure of a Venezuelan aircraft, prompting Caracas to close its airspace.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 May 2025
The relationship eventually deteriorated and that led to court filings in Japan related to the couple’s son.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 28 May 2025
Palliative care can have five stages (stable, unstable, deteriorating, terminal, and bereavement), but not all individuals progress to all the stages, and the stages may be experienced in a different order.
—Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorate
Verb
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There are also mental health impacts with worsening anxiety, stress, and depression in the hotter summer months.—
Jamie Hailstone,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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Truckers are a key industrial force that helps keep the worsening Iranian economy above water.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Israeli forces are expected to continue their campaign to eliminate remaining Hamas leaders and degrade the group's military capabilities.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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Israel has significantly weakened Hezbollah over the past year, killing much of its top leadership and severely degrading its power through mass airstrikes.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
28 May 2025
Verb
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The strikes overwhelmed air defense systems, and the city was rife with fires burning, buildings crumbling, and other debris from the attacks.—
Christopher Tremoglie,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2025
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The myth that Medicaid is for 'someone else' is crumbling fast.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Bias, inaccuracies and missing values can all weaken model reliability.—
Tor Constantino,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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Coercing democratic allies such as Canada or Denmark more broadly weakens trust in U.S. alliances; threatening Panama reawakens fears of imperialism throughout Latin America; crippling the U.S. Agency for International Development undercuts the United States’ reputation for benevolence.—
Robert O. Keohane,
Foreign Affairs,
2 June 2025
Verb
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The April 11 ruling came during a hearing in Maryland, where a Justice Department attorney declined to provide basic details about Abrego Garcia’s whereabouts.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
7 June 2025
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Full-time workers declined by 623,000, while part-timers rose by 33,000.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
6 June 2025
Verb
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To make matters worse, beyond unintentional biases, bad actors may corrupt AI technologies by feeding false or divisive information into AI training data.—
Corinne Post,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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In one poignant conversation, Hoover described how the GDs needed to corrupt our youth.—
Ronald S. Safer,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
Verb
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In November 1990, more than 3,000 women descended on the sleepy beach town of San Bernardo del Tuyú, Argentina, for what was becoming a legendary event.—
Marta Martínez,
NPR,
8 June 2025
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But on one March evening, these hulking installations were just a backdrop: Goose, and 1,000 of its most ardent fans, descended on the space for a special event promoting the ascendant Connecticut jam band’s new album, Everything Must Go (released April 25).—
Lyndsey Havens,
Billboard,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Augmenting Human Relationships with AI AI's role in enhancing efficiency does not diminish the need for human expertise in B2B interactions.—
John Bruno,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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The 25-year-old’s sample might be small, but in an era of diminishing workloads, Zack Wheeler and Max Fried are the only current starters averaging 6 1/3 innings.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deteriorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorate. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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