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
The officers also used the 2020 demonstrations — which began as peaceful demonstrations after George Floyd’s police killing in Minneapolis but devolved into 200 days of sustained protest and sometimes violent clashes — to undermine the administration’s contention that the city is now under siege.
—
Ella Lee, The Hill, 8 Nov. 2025
Creative decisions are also more devolved in Finnish production culture as compared to their Japanese counterparts.
—Marcus Lim, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
This newsletter has, so often, devolved into discussions about coaching searches and trade deadlines and future projections and all this abstract stuff that has very little to do with the fact that the Titans usually play football on Sunday, and that's kind of the whole point of why fans are fans.
—Nick Suss, Nashville Tennessean, 31 Oct. 2025
The dispute devolved into civil war in April 2023 as the Rapid Support Forces launched a series of attacks against government and military positions nationwide, seizing parts of Khartoum and other cities.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Discretion had devolved into reclusion, privacy into withdrawal.
—Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 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
Ella Lee, The Hill, 8 Nov. 2025
Creative decisions are also more devolved in Finnish production culture as compared to their Japanese counterparts.
—Marcus Lim, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
This newsletter has, so often, devolved into discussions about coaching searches and trade deadlines and future projections and all this abstract stuff that has very little to do with the fact that the Titans usually play football on Sunday, and that's kind of the whole point of why fans are fans.
—Nick Suss, Nashville Tennessean, 31 Oct. 2025
The dispute devolved into civil war in April 2023 as the Rapid Support Forces launched a series of attacks against government and military positions nationwide, seizing parts of Khartoum and other cities.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Discretion had devolved into reclusion, privacy into withdrawal.
—Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolved
Verb
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But just an hour later, the wife received a call from the home telling her that his condition had deteriorated and he was being sent to Hialeah Hospital.—
Kevin G. Hall,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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The judge said the missing video could have shown whether deputies or medical staff had checked on Schuck or ignored him as his condition deteriorated.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Nov. 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
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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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Their fate worsened when star striker Barbra Banda, who was crowned NWSL Championship MVP last year, was injured during a mid-August match, ending her season.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
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Its impact was worsened by clogged waterways in an already flood-prone area, and an apparent lack of understanding of early warnings, Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, deputy administrator for the Philippines Office of Civil Defense, told local media.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Dillard's declined to comment for this article.—
Amir Mahmoud,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
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Owens’ attorney, Joshua Kolsrud, who is representing her in the criminal allegations involving Echard and, now, the Scottsdale man, declined to comment, citing her pending criminal trial, which is scheduled for January 2026.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 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
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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 22 Nov. 2025.
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