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
More recently, LaMalfa made headlines for hosting a town hall in Chico that quickly devolved into a 90-minute shouting session.
—
David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
The Yankees’ night devolved in an eighth inning where Williams was asked to protect a 4-4 tie.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Almánzar admitted the argument devolved into obscenities.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
During a visit in 2009 to survey for mining possibilities, an argument devolved into a violent scuffle in which one man — Javier Chocobar, who was a Chuschagasta figurehead — was shot dead, while two others were gravely wounded.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devolve
David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
The Yankees’ night devolved in an eighth inning where Williams was asked to protect a 4-4 tie.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Almánzar admitted the argument devolved into obscenities.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
During a visit in 2009 to survey for mining possibilities, an argument devolved into a violent scuffle in which one man — Javier Chocobar, who was a Chuschagasta figurehead — was shot dead, while two others were gravely wounded.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devolve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolve
Verb
-
In San Francisco, a development called Hunters View built in 1956 to provide temporary workforce housing was still inhabited and badly deteriorating by the early 2000s.—
Jeffrey Steele,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
But the relations have deteriorated significantly since the start of the war in Gaza, with Israeli officials voicing growing anger at Qatar, accusing the government of harboring Hamas and not putting enough pressure on it to agree to a ceasefire.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To manage the thousands of people who descend daily, operators have studied visitors’ behavior and engineered their parks to move people around without anyone realizing they’re being nudged.—
Bianca Bosker,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
-
In September and October, the core of the Milky Way is visible as soon as twilight descends.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That this team won’t crumble in the face of adversity.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Decades of underinvestment have left the country with congested highways, crumbling bridges, crowded airports — and a disjointed passenger rail network that is underfunded and unreliable.—
Ben Jones,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Anger has been brewing in the Himalayan nation for years about the country’s worsening youth unemployment and lack of economic opportunities, exacerbated by what many view as a growing disparity between the country’s elite and regular people.—
Sugam Pokharel,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Pink Light takes the inspiring sports drama genre, where athletes have to overcome obstacles in their sport and personal lives, in a new direction as Browne tackles the worsening debate around trans athletes in the media and political spaces.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Ross, one of the Democrats to decline AIPAC money, is a relative centrist, according to a GovTrack scorecard, while Foushee and McGarvey, Kentucky’s only House Democrat, are in the middle of the pack ideologically.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
That has declined over the years because of budget constraints.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devolve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolve. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share