1
as in worsens
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 degrades
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 deteriorates
Her condition rapidly deteriorates to the point where Abbott and Robby are forced to do a C-Section in the ER, with seconds to spare to save her life and the life of the baby.
—
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
Originally staged at Avignon in 2025, the play follows a father and daughter whose bond is tested across the vastness of space as one of them starts a new life on Mars while Earth deteriorates.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Despite his professional success, his home life deteriorates, particularly his relationship with his daughter.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Apr. 2026
And as our credit deteriorates, borrowing gets more expensive, forcing us to borrow more to keep up, which worsens our credit further.
—Bill Conway, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
When hospitals operate under extreme and unpredictable demand spikes, patient safety deteriorates.
—Eugene Litvak, STAT, 27 Mar. 2026
Haldea cautioned that the secondary market could struggle to absorb a large wave of redemptions if investor sentiment deteriorates sharply.
—Hugh Leask, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2026
The turtle slows, more organisms attach, and the animal’s condition deteriorates.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Mar. 2026
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
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
Originally staged at Avignon in 2025, the play follows a father and daughter whose bond is tested across the vastness of space as one of them starts a new life on Mars while Earth deteriorates.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Despite his professional success, his home life deteriorates, particularly his relationship with his daughter.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Apr. 2026
And as our credit deteriorates, borrowing gets more expensive, forcing us to borrow more to keep up, which worsens our credit further.
—Bill Conway, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
When hospitals operate under extreme and unpredictable demand spikes, patient safety deteriorates.
—Eugene Litvak, STAT, 27 Mar. 2026
Haldea cautioned that the secondary market could struggle to absorb a large wave of redemptions if investor sentiment deteriorates sharply.
—Hugh Leask, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2026
The turtle slows, more organisms attach, and the animal’s condition deteriorates.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorates
Verb
-
Strong cleaners can leave residue that actually worsens allergy symptoms.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The funding is aimed at supporting a three-pronged plan put forward by a South End, Roxbury, and Newmarket community working group in February that focuses on getting addicts off the streets, out of jail, and into recovery to avoid the chaos and crowding that worsens there each summer.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Constantly using more fertilizer than crops require degrades the soil’s natural microbiome, making soil less productive over time, which requires farmers to use more fertilizer to compensate.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
When asked to comment, Apple pointed to previous statements, saying that the DMA discourages innovation, weakens privacy protections, delays or degrades product launches and increases security risks.—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Like the impish anti-romance that crumbles around it, the movie’s twist is both transgressive enough to be pleased with itself and also rooted in a reality that refuses to be dismissed as a bad joke.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Loyalty, betrayal, illness and war all bear down on the group as the old order crumbles around them.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The exit of thousands of DOJ lawyers weakens law enforcement for many years to come, former DOJ lawyers told USA TODAY.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Abbott contends the policy weakens statewide coordination with federal authorities.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Highway descends into chaos after massive 75-vehicle pileup, amid hazardous winter weather.—
,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The film is set in the idyllic summer town of Bayleen Bay, which descends into madness when an ice cream man serves kids from his truck with horrifying results.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His relationship with his Jewish neighbors, the Brodskys, grows closer as Nazi power corrupts France.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
As Jay Jonah Atterbury, one of a handful of new characters on the fourth season of Industry, Kal Penn weaponizes and corrupts the stoner quirks viewers may recognize from his years playing Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar films.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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At the same time, the USPS has become increasingly dependent on package delivery as first-class mail declines, making large customers like Amazon even more important.—
Barbara Booth,
CNBC,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Brandenburg-Koch declines to talk specifically about the Busfield case.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Later that season, Eric humiliates Bill in front of their Pierpoint colleagues by insulting his work quality and Bill dies from brain cancer.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Thecla humiliates him by ripping his robe and tearing the wreath off his head.—
Christy Cobb,
The Conversation,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deteriorates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorates. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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