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
Beachgoers in the region over the holiday weekend could experience showers and some thunderstorm activity, along with deteriorating surf conditions, AccuWeather reported.
—
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 3 July 2025
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was canceled on its second day due to heavy rain and deteriorating conditions.
—Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Overtime structures can be damaged, deteriorated or needing to meet new city requirements and this project will improve safety and performance in the event of flash flooding on Bluff Road from Wicker Road to Thompson Road.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
The Astros traded Pressly as a pure salary dump, influenced in part by his deteriorating relationship with general manager Dana Brown.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 3 July 2025
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was canceled on its second day due to heavy rain and deteriorating conditions.
—Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Overtime structures can be damaged, deteriorated or needing to meet new city requirements and this project will improve safety and performance in the event of flash flooding on Bluff Road from Wicker Road to Thompson Road.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
The Astros traded Pressly as a pure salary dump, influenced in part by his deteriorating relationship with general manager Dana Brown.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorate
Verb
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This can lead to more frequent awakenings, shallower sleep and worsened airway instability, resulting in more apnea events.—
Matthew Glasser,
ABC News,
30 June 2025
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Sweden reintroduced a gender-neutral draft in 2017 citing worsening security conditions, while Norway became the first NATO country to implement gender-equal conscription in 2013.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Customer service was once rated among the highest in the American Customer Satisfaction Index – until relentless budget cuts started to degrade it.—
Teresa Ghilarducci,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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But, unlike metal drill bits, which generally last for years, these enabling molecules are designed to degrade very quickly, falling apart within a few days at most.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 July 2025
Verb
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The San Francisco company’s shares took a dive Monday after its partnership with Novo Nordisk crumbled.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
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Top each bowl with fresh cilantro, lime juice, and crumbled Cotija cheese.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 June 2025
Verb
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Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is 86 years-old and his political power is weakened following the short war with Israel.—
Jackie Northam,
NPR,
9 July 2025
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The first-quarter boom in U.S. trade is weakening, with merchandise trade somewhat atypically declining for the second straight month, according to my analysis of the the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Verb
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LeBron James already opted in to a $52.6 million deal with the Lakers for next season, the Rockets traded for Durant and the Los Angeles Clippers saw James Harden decline his option in return for a new deal and a raise.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
1 July 2025
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Three players ultimately declined to participate this time around: Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas and Barry Bonds.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Some have been corrupted by money and power, betraying each other as readily as the criminals do.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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Parliament has been corrupted by agents of a genocidal foreign power.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Hours earlier, another Pride celebration at Washing Square Park descended into chaos after a false report of gunfire and an individual deploying bear spray into a crowd sparked a stampede of people running for their lives.—
Bradford Betz,
FOXNews.com,
30 June 2025
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The New Shepard rocket, the company's fully reusable and fully autonomous spacecraft, separated from the capsule and returned to Earth ahead of the astronauts, safely descending and touching down on a landing pad not far from the launch site.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
29 June 2025
Verb
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The best wrinkle creams on Amazon prove that drugstore prices don't diminish efficacy.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
8 July 2025
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Incentives for the best and brightest foreign science students to come to the U.S. are diminishing at the same time its competitors are increasing their efforts to attract the strongest STEM researchers.—
Marc Zimmer,
The Conversation,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deteriorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorate. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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