as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
the once-lovely neighborhood has devolved into a squalid slum
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Recent Examples of devolved
Discretion had devolved into reclusion, privacy into withdrawal.
—
Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Even though Sunday night’s game devolved into a meek, 3-1 loss, the club is still eight wins from a potential World Series title with the hopes of a nation on their collective shoulders.
—Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
In another acrimonious scene the same day, a conversation between a Republican congressman and the leader of House Democrats devolved into a shouting match.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
The division rang true again during the meeting on Tuesday, where the council’s deliberations quickly devolved into arguments about each side’s unwillingness to budge.
—Hannah Elsmore, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Oct. 2025
October 07, 2025 Cory Doctorow, author and digital rights advocate, argues that big tech companies from Facebook to Google and beyond have evolved – or devolved – in a disappointing way.
—Harvard Business Review, 7 Oct. 2025
Trump has long vilified Portland as the seat of the far left, since peaceful protests in the wake of George Floyd’s 2020 police killing devolved into riots and stretched on for months.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 5 Oct. 2025
The public meltdown devolved into legal threats and recriminations on both sides.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2025
But that certainty devolved as the program faded from discussion amid the chaos of rapidly evolving trade policy, and relationships with bigger partners—China, India, the European Union—have dominated the discourse.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 30 Sep. 2025
Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Even though Sunday night’s game devolved into a meek, 3-1 loss, the club is still eight wins from a potential World Series title with the hopes of a nation on their collective shoulders.
—Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
In another acrimonious scene the same day, a conversation between a Republican congressman and the leader of House Democrats devolved into a shouting match.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
The division rang true again during the meeting on Tuesday, where the council’s deliberations quickly devolved into arguments about each side’s unwillingness to budge.
—Hannah Elsmore, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Oct. 2025
October 07, 2025 Cory Doctorow, author and digital rights advocate, argues that big tech companies from Facebook to Google and beyond have evolved – or devolved – in a disappointing way.
—Harvard Business Review, 7 Oct. 2025
Trump has long vilified Portland as the seat of the far left, since peaceful protests in the wake of George Floyd’s 2020 police killing devolved into riots and stretched on for months.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 5 Oct. 2025
The public meltdown devolved into legal threats and recriminations on both sides.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2025
But that certainty devolved as the program faded from discussion amid the chaos of rapidly evolving trade policy, and relationships with bigger partners—China, India, the European Union—have dominated the discourse.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolved
Verb
-
Plus, the company outlook index deteriorated sharply, indicating an increasingly negative sentiment about future conditions.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
-
In the years before her death, Warren’s relationship with his mother had deteriorated.—
Alexandra Schonfeld,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In the span of just two weeks, an extraordinary parade of top US officials has descended on Israel in a diplomatic blitz.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The two suspects descended the ladder and all four escaped on two motorbikes, according to officials.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Passersby stared as billows of smoke rose into the air above the White House as part of the home shared by the United States president and his family crumbled to the ground.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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The brittle cornerstone of a decades-old player-development system suddenly crumbled, bringing the rest of the city game down with it.—
Luke Cyphers,
Sportico.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As the lamprey crisis worsened, various chemical companies sent compounds to the lab, which was searching for a panacea.—
Katie Thornton,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
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RadarOnline also reported recently that the King’s health has worsened in the last few days, which tracks with this new report about how much of a toll the Prince Andrew scandal is taking on him.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Clark declined to comment when asked if some smaller-market clubs bring in more money than large-market clubs.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Through Hobbs, the farmer declined an interview.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 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
-
Nobody Wants This doesn’t fall off a creative cliff in its second season, but a lot of the charm is diminished.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
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That’s not going to eliminate the nest, and ants may return when the chemical residue has diminished.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devolved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolved. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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