DEVOLVED Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

devolved

verb

past tense of devolve

as in deteriorated

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 devolved All over the French capital, shop owners and restaurateurs have boarded up their windows against les manifestations—protests over a lack of education funding which have frequently devolved into rioting. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2026 As the chamber devolved into chaos, fellow opposition members surrounded Berisha, holding blue flares, the official color of their party, and displaying images of protesters injured by police rubber bullets. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026 Heather Diehl | Getty Images Silicon Valley's bid to dominate artificial intelligence politics has devolved into a fight with itself. — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026 Some parents became so frustrated with the district’s position that the school board vote devolved into shouting from the audience as board members tried to speak over the crowd, video from the meeting showed. — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026 Their ensuing correspondence with the department began politely but devolved into threats and demands emphasized in italic type. — Barton Gellman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026 Protests last week devolved into mayhem, with people setting fires, storming public buildings, smashing shop windows, looting and clashing with police. — Elitsa Gadeva, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026 The game’s intro devolved into a Saw-esque monologue, then Fallon made a dude drink pond water. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 By this time, the interview has devolved into fun-loving chaos. — Christine Terrisse, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolved

Verb

The restoration team replaced the building’s roof and windows, which had deteriorated over years of neglect.

— Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
The dominance of drone warfare in this conflict makes aboveground travel extremely dangerous, and services and supplies have deteriorated sharply since May.

— Alexander Smith, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of deteriorated

Verb

One day before voters will ultimately choose between them, gubernatorial candidates Byron Donalds and David Jolly descended upon an unlikely battleground — ruby red Polk County, where Democrats are turning out at a higher rate than Republicans.

— Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
This July, some ten thousand people descended on London for the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

— Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of descended

Verb

And while unstable coalitions repeatedly fused and dissolved in the halls of power, outside these halls pipes burst and roads crumbled.

— Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Nov. 2026
And in 2024, a huge chunk of cliffside near the road collapsed, with onlookers sprinting from the edge as the ground crumbled.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of crumbled

Verb

But Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, widely viewed as a potential top contender for the position, has declined to pledge not to run.

— Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Aguilar declined to take the rest of the day off but then activated the fire alarm system after the meeting and tried to leave the building.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of declined

Verb

These days, oversight hearings have degenerated into partisan brawls.

— David Wippman, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026
Fay degenerated on Tuesday, but by Thursday afternoon was once again a strengthening tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, moving west at 6 mph in the central Atlantic, according to the hurricane center.

— Robin Webb, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of degenerated

Verb

As with many early American utopian communities, their ranks diminished after the Civil War, but a small band of Shakers has persisted at Sabbathday.

— Peter Smith, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Somewhat diminished in the film’s erratic attempts to contextualize this ever-metastasizing sickness is Odeh himself.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of diminished

Browse Nearby Words

devolve

devolved

devolves

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Devolved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolved. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of devolved

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

cockamamie

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes