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
-
There was even some shopping, as 1,200 loyal customers as well as shopkeepers, brand reps, socialites, models and some local officials descended on Bal Harbour Shops to commemorate the luxury center’s 60th anniversary.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
-
In the predawn hours of October 31, FBI agents descended on the Detroit suburb where the men lived and detonated smoke bombs before storming into their homes.—
Mark Morales,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But the cut and crumbled cookies show off that color.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
30 Oct. 2025
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Earlier this month, parts of several properties’ backyards in the wealthy enclave of Rancho Palo Verdes, 25 miles south of Los Angeles, crumbled into the ocean due to a landslide.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 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
-
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
-
In the end, the power of the Cheney name was greatly diminished in GOP politics.—
Don Gonyea,
NPR,
4 Nov. 2025
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Measles can have serious long-term effects, including hearing loss, diminished immunity from previous infections with other viruses and pneumonia.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devolved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolved. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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