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
Travelers and residents are urged to remain indoors and follow local emergency guidance as conditions deteriorate.
—
Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Grid operators are warning of steep increases in electricity demand for the first time in decades, leading utilities to race to expand capacity by reviving plans for natural-gas plants or building new ones, and, in some regions, even extending the life of deteriorating coal facilities.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
Plus, the company outlook index deteriorated sharply, indicating an increasingly negative sentiment about future conditions.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
The filmmakers also collaborated with UC Santa Barbara to digitize over 80,000 feet of previously unseen footage of Teatro Campesino, which was deteriorating and at risk of being permanently lost.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Grid operators are warning of steep increases in electricity demand for the first time in decades, leading utilities to race to expand capacity by reviving plans for natural-gas plants or building new ones, and, in some regions, even extending the life of deteriorating coal facilities.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
Plus, the company outlook index deteriorated sharply, indicating an increasingly negative sentiment about future conditions.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
The filmmakers also collaborated with UC Santa Barbara to digitize over 80,000 feet of previously unseen footage of Teatro Campesino, which was deteriorating and at risk of being permanently lost.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorate
Verb
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The government shutdown threatens that economic output, and according to Schroeder, almost all service members are at serious threat of missing a paycheck if the shutdown extends into mid-November, worsening the situation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Oct. 2025
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But his blunt dismissal of APEC risks worsening America’s reputation at a forum that represents nearly 40% of the world’s population and more than half of global goods trade.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The local politicians like Mayor Wu who are staying mum are just compounding cronyism and degrading the livability of the neighborhood.—
Lou Murray,
Boston Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
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The goal is to understand exactly how and why performance degrades over time.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Careers shift, relationships evolve and whatever’s been built on shaky grounds tends to crumble in order for something strong and enduring to take root.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
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While Dalton was inept in his fill-in duty, the Panthers’ defense also crumbled, especially against the run.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At the same time, leaving grass too long over the winter can shade the soil and weaken the grass.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
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In addition to the GOP leaders, most rank-and-file Senate Republicans also oppose repealing the filibuster that’s been slowly weakened by both parties in recent decades for Executive Branch and judicial nominees.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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No Buffett, no premium Since Warren Buffett announced his retirement from Berkshire Hathaway its stock has declined 11% in a period when the S&P 500 rose 20%.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
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Baldwin’s lawyers declined to comment on Kenney’s suit.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Listers understands how technology can corrupt our leisure activities.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
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Researchers had previously assumed attackers would need to corrupt a specific percentage of the data, which, for larger models would be millions of documents.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This quickly descended into hilarity when the coaches further ambushed their unwilling challengers with a full-court press for the entire 12 minutes.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Oct. 2025
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In a 20-second black and white video of the strike posted to X, a small boat can be seen apparently sitting motionless on the water when a long thin projectile descends on it, triggering an explosion.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Adopting China’s position in this way would be a blunder, diminishing Taiwan’s resolve to resist Chinese aggression and coercion.—
STEPHEN WERTHEIM,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Oct. 2025
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Social media feeds can lead people toward the dark side with negative content or content that can diminish self-esteem.—
NPR,
NPR,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deteriorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorate. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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