deteriorating 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in deteriorated

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in declining

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Dissimilar Words

deteriorating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of deteriorate
1
as in crumbling
to become worse or of less value the garden slowly deteriorated after months of neglect

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in degrading
to lower in character, dignity, or quality childish name-calling that merely deteriorates what should be a serious discussion on an important issue

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deteriorating
Adjective
The Federal Bureau of Prisons closed the site in 2024 due to deteriorating conditions and understaffing. — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
Verb
But even with its new foundation and sweeping ceiling, the history of the old, deteriorating barn won’t be lost. — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026 In the four months before killing her three children and attempting to kill herself, Lindsay Clancy desperately sought help for her deteriorating mental condition. — Tara Bannow, STAT, 4 Sep. 2026 Its lengthy deployment drew concerns last month about deteriorating mental health among the crew as well as shortages of key food supplies aboard. — Jintamas Saksornchai, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026 The consensus for some on the social media posts were clear, the landmark commission needed to check whether the Morris Barn was actually deteriorating. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2026 Netizens were quick to joke about out the unusual outage affecting almost every major AI chatbot service, describing a momentary glimpse of lucidity for a society obsessed with a tech that’s deteriorating our cognitive abilities. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 3 Sep. 2026 Higher yields with larger debt burdens makes paying off the debt more difficult and compounds the deteriorating fiscal situation. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026 Amr Hamzawy, director of the Middle East program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, pointed to two main reasons for the deteriorating situation. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 However, the prolonged deployment raised concerns amid reports of health issues, deteriorating conditions aboard the warship, and low morale. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorating
  1. deteriorated
  2. declining
  3. crumbling
  4. degrading
  5. decaying
  6. fading
  7. worsening
  8. weakening
Adjective
  • Clark said the supports are needed because equipment used in the investigation is too heavy and difficult to maneuver safely on the deteriorated floor.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
  • According to the officer, the decision to classify Sands' death as such was the result of the deteriorated condition of his body.
    — Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 27 June 2026
Definition of deteriorated
Adjective
  • While pruning, remove any winter damage, along with dead and declining growths, to allow new shoots to reform the plant.
    — Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 6 Mar. 2021
  • In order to reopen, counties must demonstrate declining prevalence of COVID-19, testing ability of 30 tests per 10,000 residents per week, contact tracing and isolation facilities.
    — Fox News, Fox News, 15 May 2020
Definition of declining
Verb
  • About 70% of Florida’s reef is crumbling without enough living coral to rebuild what’s lost to erosion.
    — Nicolás Rivero, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The clean demarcations between recreation and reality necessary to protect his previous subjects come crumbling down in the face of a larger-than-life figure like Ryan.
    — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of crumbling
Verb
  • For instance, excess ions fail to enter the graphite quickly enough and form performance-degrading metallic deposits on the surface (lithium plating).
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The Tate brothers built a global following, became extremely wealthy, and gained cultural and political influence by degrading and harming women.
    — Jodi Bondi Norgaard, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of degrading
Adjective
  • Liberal critics, however, argued—also rightly—that the Soviet Union was a decaying, economically crippled giant by the time Reagan was inaugurated.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The district also could be in for other major changes in the coming years, including the opening of a few new schools to replace multiple decaying, underenrolled schools.
    — Scott Travis, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Definition of decaying
Adjective
  • The classic budget-friendly design features a high-rise waistband that stays put, stretchy fabric that’s moisture-wicking and non-fading, and versatile colors like classic black and army green.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 June 2026
  • In Aniara, the entire natural world is simply absent, a fading, unsustainable memory of something once alive.
    — Jenny Odell, Longreads, 2 June 2026
Definition of fading
Verb
  • Notably, the study did not find that climate change is worsening the other half of the El Niño Southern Oscillation System — La Niña.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • For critics, the carts are running amok, parking illegally, worsening congestion and unlocking another level of overtourism.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of worsening
Verb
  • If superconductivity in magic-angle graphene were primarily driven by phonons, or vibrations of the atomic lattice, weakening Coulomb interactions would be expected to leave the effect largely unchanged or even strengthen it slightly.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Caterpillar carries a weakening relative strength score of just 4 out of 10 versus the S & P 500.
    — Tony Zhang, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of weakening

Browse Nearby Words

deteriorates
deteriorating
deterioration
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Cite this Entry

“Deteriorating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorating. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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