as in deteriorates
to become worse or of less value
the once-lovely neighborhood has devolved into a squalid slum
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Recent Examples of devolves
Howard sells his smug malice, digging into Matt in a way no one has before until the whole thing devolves into a physical fight.
—
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Cue the crashout, which starts as a fight and quickly devolves into kidnapping, spell work, and the dilemma of figuring out which friend to call to hide a body.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
In it, the group of operatives attempt to intercept a team of Chinese nuclear scientists in Iran; the situation devolves into a shootout, culminating in a last-minute helicopter rescue.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2025
The on-screen contention between the two devolves into a fever dream of violence, deception and abuse— both mental and physical.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 17 Aug. 2025
When he’s done, the atmosphere inside the White House quickly devolves.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 25 Feb. 2025
Without laws, a country devolves into anarchy and lawlessness.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025
Sometimes, the visit even devolves into an impromptu musical performance, like when.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 13 Feb. 2025
Despite great chemistry between stars Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Skeet Ulrich, and Vincent D'Onofrio, The Newton Boys is a crime film without much tension that devolves into a hangout picture without the humor or wit of his better, well, hangout pictures.
—Brian Smolensky and James Mercadante, EW.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Cue the crashout, which starts as a fight and quickly devolves into kidnapping, spell work, and the dilemma of figuring out which friend to call to hide a body.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
In it, the group of operatives attempt to intercept a team of Chinese nuclear scientists in Iran; the situation devolves into a shootout, culminating in a last-minute helicopter rescue.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2025
The on-screen contention between the two devolves into a fever dream of violence, deception and abuse— both mental and physical.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 17 Aug. 2025
When he’s done, the atmosphere inside the White House quickly devolves.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 25 Feb. 2025
Without laws, a country devolves into anarchy and lawlessness.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025
Sometimes, the visit even devolves into an impromptu musical performance, like when.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 13 Feb. 2025
Despite great chemistry between stars Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Skeet Ulrich, and Vincent D'Onofrio, The Newton Boys is a crime film without much tension that devolves into a hangout picture without the humor or wit of his better, well, hangout pictures.
—Brian Smolensky and James Mercadante, EW.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolves
Verb
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This means green signals are inherently weaker, and when outdoor sunlight adds noise, the measurement range shrinks even further, and accuracy deteriorates.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
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When trust between boards and CEOs deteriorates, cracks spread quickly.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Funiculars use a counterweight pulley system so that when one car of a funicular descends, the other car can ascend.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
7 Sep. 2025
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Then the Marswalker does its job and climbs or descends a staircase.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The film reportedly follows Streep’s Miranda as the magazine industry crumbles around her.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
5 Aug. 2025
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However, the film often crumbles under the weight of the ambitions.—
Sweta Kaushal,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This means that damaging workplace behaviors reduce productivity directly as well as create emotional exhaustion that worsens the decline.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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The company travels to Rome, where Blackshirts march in the piazzas, but Duse’s health worsens.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bonnie Treichel, an attorney who specializes in ERISA, expects more firms to seize on private assets as the number of public companies declines and the private market grows.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
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Then the real value of dollars, meaning their purchasing power, declines.—
Hersh Shefrin,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devolves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolves. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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