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
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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Recent Examples of deteriorating
Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
Her mother, Maria Alejandra, had told me in long, vivid emails about some of more serious concerns about her and her daughter’s deteriorating mental and physical health during their prolonged detention.
—Mica Rosenberg, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
Even as fresh violence is wreaked on the country, there has yet to be a full accounting of the government’s brutal crackdown in January, during which thousands of people protesting the deteriorating economy were killed by security forces.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Hem Sinath said that new and urgent projects needed to keep the temple from deteriorating further are being hindered by concerns for safety and security while the ceasefire remains fragile.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
People make drastic decisions inside the hamster wheel of a deteriorating upper-middle-class suburban milieu.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026
The city conducted a major renovation back in 2002 — which added some of the amenities folks see today — but the center has been deteriorating since then.
—Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, the nation’s roads are deteriorating.
—Louis Sigaud, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Blackouts now last most of the day in many Cuban cities, tourism is dwindling, and some foreign companies have begun to pull their personnel from the island amid deteriorating conditions.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
Now the war has turned into a race to stabilize the rapidly deteriorating global economic order, central to which is reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
Her mother, Maria Alejandra, had told me in long, vivid emails about some of more serious concerns about her and her daughter’s deteriorating mental and physical health during their prolonged detention.
—Mica Rosenberg, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
Even as fresh violence is wreaked on the country, there has yet to be a full accounting of the government’s brutal crackdown in January, during which thousands of people protesting the deteriorating economy were killed by security forces.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Hem Sinath said that new and urgent projects needed to keep the temple from deteriorating further are being hindered by concerns for safety and security while the ceasefire remains fragile.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
People make drastic decisions inside the hamster wheel of a deteriorating upper-middle-class suburban milieu.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026
The city conducted a major renovation back in 2002 — which added some of the amenities folks see today — but the center has been deteriorating since then.
—Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, the nation’s roads are deteriorating.
—Louis Sigaud, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Blackouts now last most of the day in many Cuban cities, tourism is dwindling, and some foreign companies have begun to pull their personnel from the island amid deteriorating conditions.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorating
Adjective
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The Housatonic Railroad Company will receive $2,636,382 for replacing two grade crossing surfaces in New Milford, replacing deteriorated ties along its corridor.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
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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
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 crumbling industrial scenery by Riccardo Hernández is visually stunning and versatile, and it’s gorgeously illuminated by lighting designer Robert Wierzel.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
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Surrounded by vicious and violent hitmen that have been pressed into service as childcare, Juan Pablo must reckon with his father's crumbling power and find his own way in the world after his death.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The comments highlight growing concerns among international observers that the current conflict, while degrading Iran’s infrastructure, may not prevent the country from eventually rebuilding its nuclear program.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Mar. 2026
-
What the President is doing here, which is taking out- degrading Iran's capability to be, again, an exporter of chaos, sheer chaos to the region, to the world.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 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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The goal is to facilitate talks and secure an easing of the White House pressure campaign to isolate Cuba through a de facto oil blockade that is causing crippling fuel shortages and worsening blackouts, according to several people familiar with the talks.—
Anthony Faiola,
Washington Post,
27 Mar. 2026
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But by the evening, lawmakers were still struggling to reach an agreement to end the impasse, even as many viewed the worsening situation at the nation's airports as untenable.—
Sam Gringlas,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Seniors are the most reliable midterm voters in the country, and with the 2026 elections approaching and affordability already their top concern, weakening this program is a risk Republicans should not be taking.—
Joe Hardy,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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However, rejecting the goal of citizenship verification altogether risks weakening public confidence in the system.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Back in the sixties, the ramshackle War on Poverty left a memory of futility.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
-
In a few short years, Prager had carved out an expansive life as a Caribbean kingpin, transforming the ramshackle smuggling operation into a sophisticated, multicrew organization that moved tens of thousands of pounds of pot.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deteriorating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorating. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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