as in to deteriorate
to become worse or of less value
the once-lovely neighborhood has devolved into a squalid 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 devolve
Emotional Conversations Always End In Exhaustion, Not Resolution In marriages caught in the chaser-spacer dynamic, attempts to discuss feelings often devolve into emotional exhaustion rather than resolution.
—
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
That's not to say there's not a role for healthy discourse to educate and create understanding; initially, Rowling appeared to come to the conversation from a feminist perspective, which devolved into something much darker and crueler.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025
What a decline in product The Athletic has devolved into nowadays.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
The paper reported that the argument, which reportedly did not involve her grandson, devolved into a fight and Mette went outside to try and break it up.
—Liam Quinn, People.com, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devolve
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
That's not to say there's not a role for healthy discourse to educate and create understanding; initially, Rowling appeared to come to the conversation from a feminist perspective, which devolved into something much darker and crueler.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025
What a decline in product The Athletic has devolved into nowadays.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
The paper reported that the argument, which reportedly did not involve her grandson, devolved into a fight and Mette went outside to try and break it up.
—Liam Quinn, People.com, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devolve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolve
Verb
-
In March, Rose Shalom of Sunland lost her husband, Mannie Rezende, who had slowly deteriorated from Alzheimer’s over several years.—
Steve Lopez,
Mercury News,
7 May 2025
-
But their relationship deteriorated as both countries became less secular.—
David Makovsky,
Foreign Affairs,
6 May 2025
Verb
-
Over 12 days, actors, directors, producers, influencers and the like will descend onto the carpeted steps — not just to promote their latest feature film at the high temple of world cinema, but also to turn a look.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
14 May 2025
-
The haunting Frendo the Clown, which had been previously glimpsed dispatching teens in a potentially supernatural manner, descends on a farmhouse party filled with drunk teens.—
William Earl,
Variety,
14 May 2025
Verb
-
One of the five Venezuelan opposition activists who recently escaped after more than a year confined inside the Argentine Embassy in Caracas says their dramatic rescue underscores the crumbling state of the Nicolas Maduro regime’s security forces.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2025
-
Prosecutors say Read struck John O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV and left him to freeze and die on the front lawn of 34 Fairview Road in Canton in the early morning of Jan. 29, 2022, after yet another argument in their crumbling relationship.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
10 May 2025
Verb
-
What To Know According to the study published in Communications Earth & Environment, the states with the highest mortality rates from wildfire smoke worsened by climate change between 2006 and 2020 were in the West.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
-
Delays also worsened, with 78.1% of flights arriving on time last year, down from 78.3% in 2023.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
15 May 2025
Verb
-
While the cost of groceries, on average, declined, the report found the price of dining out got more expensive and is up about 4% from the past year.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
14 May 2025
-
Admittedly, Intel’s declining earnings in recent years, loss of market share to AMD in the PC and server sectors, and the broader transition from CPUs to GPUs in the AI era pose risks for the stock.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devolve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolve. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share