as in deterioration
a change to a lower state or level
the gradual devolution of the neighborhood from a thriving community of close-knit families to a drug-ridden slum
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 devolution
Keys to economic rejuvenation in these left-behind places are the devolution of decision-making powers to local and regional authorities, as well as having sufficient financial resources to implement the resulting bottom-up decisions.
—
Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Schematic plot aside, Gigolo succeeds as a profile of a pleasure provider whose generosity masks a thin veneer of loneliness, and Gere persuasively sells his character’s devolution from desirable man to out-of-work prostitute after his fancy clients hang him out to dry.
6.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025
This phenomenon will begin to impact chronic disease management and progressively more complex conditions and will accelerate devolution of care and responsibility for many conditions to the patient — who is often best placed to understand their own health.
—Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 31 Dec. 2024
Maybe the game won't sync across platforms, and the impedance of having to start all over will be enough to prevent notable devolution.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 5 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for devolution
Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Schematic plot aside, Gigolo succeeds as a profile of a pleasure provider whose generosity masks a thin veneer of loneliness, and Gere persuasively sells his character’s devolution from desirable man to out-of-work prostitute after his fancy clients hang him out to dry.
6.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025
This phenomenon will begin to impact chronic disease management and progressively more complex conditions and will accelerate devolution of care and responsibility for many conditions to the patient — who is often best placed to understand their own health.
—Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 31 Dec. 2024
Maybe the game won't sync across platforms, and the impedance of having to start all over will be enough to prevent notable devolution.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 5 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for devolution
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolution
Noun
-
From the start, the idea was to revitalize Eagle Crest Plaza, which became blighted due to years of neglect and deterioration by rainwater detention.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2025
-
Conversely, Oklahoma and Iowa exhibited the fastest doubling of death rates after age 35—a sign of more rapid health deterioration among their populations.—
Jordan King
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
Using her celebrity, Tabei was also an activist for environmental change in high-altitude regions, having grown appalled by the degradation of fragile mountain glaciers that was being caused by the mountaineering industry.—
Jenny Hall,
CNN Money,
14 May 2025
-
To others, a symbol of degradation and objectification.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
White House spokesperson Kush Desai celebrated the decline in a statement Tuesday touting other news from the CPI report which also showed cooling inflation.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
14 May 2025
-
Harris and the White House also had to field frequent questions about Biden's cognitive abilities, as well as allegations that the administration intentionally hid the extent of the former president's decline from the American public during primary season.—
Anna Commander
Sonam Sheth,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
The changing declination also defines the daily arc that the sun takes across the sky, thereby accounting for the length of daylight.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
6 Feb. 2025
-
The sun's changing declination is what determines whether the sun's rays strike us at a low angle or more directly.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
From a family of Italian descent, the brothers took wildly different paths, with Robert Sirico going the route of the faithful and Tony heading first for some run-ins with the law, then to Hollywood.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
10 May 2025
-
It was not immediately known how much, if any, of the half-ton spacecraft survived the fiery descent from orbit.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devolution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolution. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share