as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
the once-lovely neighborhood has devolved into a squalid slum
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of devolved
In the United States, the Epstein scandal has devolved into a mere political soap opera, in which the victims are largely forgotten and Trump is so far unscathed.
—
Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025
However, when intentions were ill-defined or assumed (sometimes based on hegemonic, often Christian, power dynamics), conversations about religious differences devolved from uncomfortable to hostile and even harmful.
—Matthew Mayhew, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The subreddit slowly devolved into chaos, and a meme culture called Silkposting emerged.
—Keller Gordon, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025
Like Tolle, Slaten’s night began with a first-pitch out and devolved from there.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
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
Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025
However, when intentions were ill-defined or assumed (sometimes based on hegemonic, often Christian, power dynamics), conversations about religious differences devolved from uncomfortable to hostile and even harmful.
—Matthew Mayhew, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The subreddit slowly devolved into chaos, and a meme culture called Silkposting emerged.
—Keller Gordon, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025
Like Tolle, Slaten’s night began with a first-pitch out and devolved from there.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolved
Verb
-
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
-
The Republican president returned to office in January promising to reinvigorate relations with Netanyahu that had deteriorated under his Democratic predecessor.—
Gram Slattery,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Back when the Covid pandemic shut down restaurants across the country in spring of 2020, gloom and doom descended on an industry whose profit margins were always thin.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Journalists and television crews from around the world descended on the town of Morwell when the trial began in April, with millions of Australians following proceedings live through one of several popular daily podcasts.—
Alasdair Pal,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But when attendees arrived on the remote island, there was little food — except, famously, cheese sandwiches — along with tents for housing and no actual music performances as the festival crumbled, with McFarland blaming improper infrastructure.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
These figures are in pass protection, meaning that the line has crumbled under pass rushers pretty often with Burrow taking snaps.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The gender wage gap among full-time workers also worsened in 2024.—
Kamaron McNair,
CNBC,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The persecution worsened more than a decade ago during uprisings that remade the Middle East by toppling dictators — including Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak — but in some places spiraled into civil war.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Mendoza declined multiple requests for an interview and did not provide comments in response to ProPublica’s letters detailing the case.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Citing the ongoing investigation, police declined to release further details.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By Monday, the storm had degenerated in to remnants which were located about 615 miles west of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico, with no threat to land, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).—
Hannah Parry
Amanda Castro
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Even if military victory in the conventional sense remains uncertain, Russia has been diminished in ways that extend far beyond the battlefield.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The result can mean fatigue, irritability and diminished mental focus for the individual tasked with working in the heat.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devolved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolved. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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