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
Play Date This wacky sketch sees a group of tween girls (Skarsgård, Sherman, Wickline, Chloe Fineman, Veronika Slowikowska) having a play date that quickly devolves into extreme violence.
—
Charu Sinha, Vulture, 1 Feb. 2026
If all goes to hell and America devolves into a rank dictatorship, beware the bootlicker.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Maria’s scenes ultimately provoke laughter, not discomfort, and her arc devolves into accidental self-parody.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
In their absence, political life devolves into performance, identity assertion, and mutual suspicion.
—Klaus Schwab, Time, 5 Jan. 2026
What begins as a polite debate over aesthetics and taste devolves into a clash of egos and resentments.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Dec. 2025
Obviously, the whole conversation devolves into ridiculous nonsense.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 28 Nov. 2025
Minnesota has mastered ball movement and quick decision making when there’s no opposing resistance, but quickly devolves into old, bad habits when the other team practices ball contain.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 22 Nov. 2025
And yet, if this meeting devolves into a verbal cage match, Mamdani could walk away the winner.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Charu Sinha, Vulture, 1 Feb. 2026
If all goes to hell and America devolves into a rank dictatorship, beware the bootlicker.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Maria’s scenes ultimately provoke laughter, not discomfort, and her arc devolves into accidental self-parody.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
In their absence, political life devolves into performance, identity assertion, and mutual suspicion.
—Klaus Schwab, Time, 5 Jan. 2026
What begins as a polite debate over aesthetics and taste devolves into a clash of egos and resentments.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Dec. 2025
Obviously, the whole conversation devolves into ridiculous nonsense.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 28 Nov. 2025
Minnesota has mastered ball movement and quick decision making when there’s no opposing resistance, but quickly devolves into old, bad habits when the other team practices ball contain.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 22 Nov. 2025
And yet, if this meeting devolves into a verbal cage match, Mamdani could walk away the winner.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolves
Verb
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Emily Demirdonder, director of operations and marketing at Proximity Plumbing, said the rubber backing deteriorates in hot water and breaks apart during the spin cycle, and those fragments can block drain pumps and drainage pipes—sometimes leading to flooding and machine failure.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Southern Living,
28 Jan. 2026
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Staying at home when weather deteriorates will allow essential personnel to travel more safely to work.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As an Earth-orbiting spacecraft descends, temperatures of up to 3,500°F bloom across the heat shield at the bottom of the capsule.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
29 Jan. 2026
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Pittsburgh will have the 21st pick when a draft that appears to be thin in quality options at quarterback descends on the Steel City in late April.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The song was inspired by surviving a toxic relationship, and then finding a true-hearted love that crumbles emotional walls.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
15 Jan. 2026
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Academic success means little if a child crumbles under stress.—
Dr. Mona Amin,
CNBC,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The mom-to-be’s condition rapidly worsens, with Addison convincing Amelia — again reluctantly — to restore her privileges and scrub in.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
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The organization urges residents to step forward and help restore the local blood supply before the impact worsens.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Using rolling peaks, which measure declines from the most recent market high rather than calendar periods, the S & P 500 has gone 185 days without a 10% drawdown, a stretch that, by itself, does not signal an imminent correction.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
26 Jan. 2026
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Calls for repeal come with leaders of Balboa Park museums and other organizations saying that declines in park visits have ranged from 20% to more than 50% and that overall annual revenue could drop by $20 million to $30 million.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devolves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolves. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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