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
The movie, out now, follows Irene (Liu), her son Joe (Lawrence Shou), whose relationship deteriorates in the wake of his schizophrenia diagnosis.
—
Hannah Malach, InStyle, 11 Mar. 2026
Your mailbox is a small feature that can signal neglect if it’s dated, deteriorating, or crooked.
—Jane Kim, The Spruce, 11 Mar. 2026
When the uncomfortable traveler asked the Alabama woman to move her arm off his back, things quickly deteriorated.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Dane had been scheduled to be part of a bonus episode for the series, but then his health began to deteriorate, which made filming impossible.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Hannah Malach, InStyle, 11 Mar. 2026
Your mailbox is a small feature that can signal neglect if it’s dated, deteriorating, or crooked.
—Jane Kim, The Spruce, 11 Mar. 2026
When the uncomfortable traveler asked the Alabama woman to move her arm off his back, things quickly deteriorated.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Dane had been scheduled to be part of a bonus episode for the series, but then his health began to deteriorate, which made filming impossible.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorate
Verb
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Tim Pennington called again that evening, Bell said, to ask for prayers as his son's condition was worsening, and then later told him the soldier had succumbed to his injuries.—
ALLEN G. BREED,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
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Behind the scenes, DHS officials worry that the longer the shutdown lasts, the greater the risk that more TSA employees will leave, worsening staffing shortages beyond the immediate crisis.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been degraded during the American and Israeli war against it, but remains far from neutralized.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Mar. 2026
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Conventional relay-lens setups often degrade beam quality or require precise positioning.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Gang violence, death threats and a crumbling judicial system have stalled an ongoing investigation.—
David Fischer,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Last summer, the fastball effectiveness crumbled.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Under this model, airlines, hotels, and other end-service providers may benefit, while intermediaries such as ticket booking platforms and price comparison websites may see their roles weakened.—
,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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This weakens the plant and can cause dieback.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Scientists disagree on whether these young trees will mature into forest giants or decline due to drought and a warming climate.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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But exactly how the tragedy unfolded has remained unclear and the Pentagon has declined comment, saying the investigation remains ongoing.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Richard Pazdur, a longtime cancer drug regulator, retired from the CDER director post in December due to concerns that political officials were corrupting the agency’s scientific process.—
Lizzy Lawrence,
STAT,
6 Mar. 2026
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Over time, these invisible strikes can corrupt data, damage components, and shorten a spacecraft’s life.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Over the past few days, the biggest tennis stars in the world have descended on the tony desert enclave of Indian Wells, California for the BNP Paribas Open, also known as Tennis Paradise.—
Lucas Shaw,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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Even as busloads of Bruins fans descended on Galen Center, turning USC’s arena into hostile territory, the Trojans showed signs of life early on.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After a decade of dramatic growth, homelessness programs now face a period of diminishing resources.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Advocates say that level of disenrollment will sharply diminish the state’s health care system as a whole, by robbing hospitals and clinics of revenue.—
Andrew Graham
March 9,
Sacbee.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deteriorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorate. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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