1
as in deteriorated
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2
as in declining
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in crumbling
to become worse or of less value
the garden slowly deteriorated after months of neglect
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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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Recent Examples of deteriorating
Dan Raby, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
The supervisors voted more than four years ago to shut down Men’s Central Jail, a downtown facility notorious for dangerous and deteriorating conditions, without building a replacement.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Zelenskyy said yesterday the next meeting between negotiators was scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates later this week, but the deteriorating security situation there could change that.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 3 Mar. 2026
Shipping giants, including MSC, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM, have also issued fresh guidance, seeking to prioritize safety amid a deteriorating security situation.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
The troubled Olive Park Village, off 9th and Olive streets, has faced concerns over alleged deteriorating and unsafe conditions for residents that burst into public consciousness late last year.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2026
Still, that so many Representatives from both sides of the recognize the urgency, triggered now by a picture that deteriorating far more rapidly than almost anyone predicted just a year ago, marks an extraordinary shift in the national debate.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Officials said that the food security situation is deteriorating because of water shortages, insecurity, conflict and historically low levels of humanitarian assistance linked to global funding cuts.
—ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026
Of course, that independence has already been slowly deteriorating over the past year.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
Attorneys argue Colin Gray's accountability for shooting Prosecutors argued that Colin Gray gave his son the weapon used in the shooting and ammunition despite multiple warning signs that the boy's mental state was deteriorating.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
The supervisors voted more than four years ago to shut down Men’s Central Jail, a downtown facility notorious for dangerous and deteriorating conditions, without building a replacement.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Zelenskyy said yesterday the next meeting between negotiators was scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates later this week, but the deteriorating security situation there could change that.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 3 Mar. 2026
Shipping giants, including MSC, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM, have also issued fresh guidance, seeking to prioritize safety amid a deteriorating security situation.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
The troubled Olive Park Village, off 9th and Olive streets, has faced concerns over alleged deteriorating and unsafe conditions for residents that burst into public consciousness late last year.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2026
Still, that so many Representatives from both sides of the recognize the urgency, triggered now by a picture that deteriorating far more rapidly than almost anyone predicted just a year ago, marks an extraordinary shift in the national debate.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Officials said that the food security situation is deteriorating because of water shortages, insecurity, conflict and historically low levels of humanitarian assistance linked to global funding cuts.
—ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026
Of course, that independence has already been slowly deteriorating over the past year.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorating
Adjective
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The films arrived in deteriorated condition, with about 10 reels that had been shuttled from basements to barns to garages.—
Eric Henderson,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
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The cheaper real estate solution would typically be to tear down a deteriorated structure, Matthews told The News.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Verb
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The blackout, the second such outage to affect western Cuba in three months, was blamed on a crumbling electric grid and a lack of fuel.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
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Failing to correct problems can lead to crumbling home foundations, rotting wood, mold growth, and a proliferation of pests, including termites.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nor was the fact that much of our president’s career has been spent mocking, belittling, and degrading women.—
Brittany Pettersen,
Denver Post,
27 Feb. 2026
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Moreover, all recent presidents have resorted to the degrading spectacle of dragging humble fellow citizens into the spotlight, either to celebrate their achievements or, far worse, to make a spectacle of their private grief by putting it under the klieg lights of national publicity.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Thus, the wrecking ball came for the Purple Passion Pit and the rest of the complex, a monument to a fading but wonderfully hospitable era of Chicago entertainment and local entrepreneurship.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
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Livaura Retinol Anti-Aging Hand Cream Retinol is a vitamin A derivative that boosts cell turnover and collagen production, while fading wrinkles, fine lines, and reducing visible signs of aging like dullness, dark spots, and texture.—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Perched between China and India, the country of 30 million people has been plagued for decades by political instability, crippling a largely agrarian economy and worsening unemployment – structural issues compounded by rampant corruption.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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Over 115,000 Afghans and 3,000 Pakistanis have been displaced by the conflict, with the UN warning of worsening humanitarian crises.—
Munir Ahmed,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That hasn’t happened, and attacks continue to fly, potentially weakening the eventual GOP nominee.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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Bank of England officials will now have to weigh the risks of weakening demand in the UK economy, against surging oil and gas prices.—
Irina Anghel,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Money and resources flowed almost entirely to sports favored by whites—cricket and rugby—while soccer was left mostly to Black South Africans, playing in substandard, ramshackle stadiums in squalid townships.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
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The cacophonous construction in the film opening scene is of a ramshackle company hut for Junior’s whole family to live in — nothing more than a one-room shed, it’s cramped and unequal to the coming rainy season.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deteriorating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorating. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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