as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value
the once-lovely neighborhood has devolved into a squalid slum
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Recent Examples of devolving
The commission must reject devolving veto authority to cities.
—
U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
Last year’s conflict with Israel laid bare weaknesses in Iran’s command structures under pressure, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reportedly becoming increasingly hard to reach and authority devolving to provincial governors.
—Farida Elsebai, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
One of his chief concerns is that governments and regulators are struggling to keep pace with the technology’s rapid rollout, leaving the private sector locked in a race to the finish that risks devolving into the kind of perilous competition not seen since the height of the Cold War.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
In moments like these, KAVARI carves intricate filigrees out of monolithic blocks of sound, keeping the spiky moments from devolving into overly indulgent harsh noise (for fans of the latter, try her side project EEL BLOOD).
—James Gui, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
Negotiations over government funding are devolving into taunts and partisan posturing as Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and his Democratic counterpart in the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), assign early blame for an imminent shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 4 Feb. 2026
Tarr told his sweeping film in chapters, and the prolonged runtime was crucial to the story’s power, showing an entire world devolving into hopelessness and oblivion, practically in real time.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026
Gemini spirals Google’s Gemini model series has developed a reputation online for occasionally devolving into self-loathing.
—Tharin Pillay, Time, 28 Dec. 2025
The horns, synthesizers, and guitars all crash in like an anvil — a musical climax to the song’s sultry lyrics — before devolving into free-jazz chaos.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
Last year’s conflict with Israel laid bare weaknesses in Iran’s command structures under pressure, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reportedly becoming increasingly hard to reach and authority devolving to provincial governors.
—Farida Elsebai, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
One of his chief concerns is that governments and regulators are struggling to keep pace with the technology’s rapid rollout, leaving the private sector locked in a race to the finish that risks devolving into the kind of perilous competition not seen since the height of the Cold War.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
In moments like these, KAVARI carves intricate filigrees out of monolithic blocks of sound, keeping the spiky moments from devolving into overly indulgent harsh noise (for fans of the latter, try her side project EEL BLOOD).
—James Gui, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
Negotiations over government funding are devolving into taunts and partisan posturing as Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and his Democratic counterpart in the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), assign early blame for an imminent shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 4 Feb. 2026
Tarr told his sweeping film in chapters, and the prolonged runtime was crucial to the story’s power, showing an entire world devolving into hopelessness and oblivion, practically in real time.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026
Gemini spirals Google’s Gemini model series has developed a reputation online for occasionally devolving into self-loathing.
—Tharin Pillay, Time, 28 Dec. 2025
The horns, synthesizers, and guitars all crash in like an anvil — a musical climax to the song’s sultry lyrics — before devolving into free-jazz chaos.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolving
Verb
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Blackouts now last most of the day in many Cuban cities, tourism is dwindling, and some foreign companies have begun to pull their personnel from the island amid deteriorating conditions.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
17 Mar. 2026
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Loose or deteriorating flashings, which can be caused by harsh winter weather and changing temperatures, are one of the most common sources of roof leaks.—
Asia London Palomba,
The Spruce,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Footage from the scene shows the paraglider descending toward a slope filled with skiers and snowboarders.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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On Wednesday, astronomer and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell reported that a large collection of Starlink satellites has been descending, cutting the distance for the satellite beams to reach Earth.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Toki died waiting in a filthy, crumbling tank at one of the oldest marine parks in the world.—
Valerie Greene,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
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No player on this Florida roster has watched an SEC Championship before, yet now the Gators get the pleasure of waiting and seeing whether their crumbling still warrants a spot along the top-seed line.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Haithcock said schools have been financially hamstrung since Act 10 – the Scott Walker-era landmark law in 2011 that curtailed union bargaining power and cut take-home pay for workers – especially amid declining student enrollment.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
19 Mar. 2026
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While an unconventional choice for the typically squeaky-clean Bachelor franchise, a soft-swinging TikTok influencer turned reality star at first sounded like the 180 the franchise desperately needed after years of declining ratings and a seemingly outdated format amid modern dating culture.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The country is facing a worsening economic crisis.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
13 Mar. 2026
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Worries are worsening that the war could block the production of oil in the Persian Gulf for a long time and cause a debilitating surge of inflation for the global economy.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Scientists have hailed the benefits of exercising early in life to lower the risk of your brain degenerating later.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
29 Nov. 2025
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In the Pacific, meteorologists are watching to see how much rain the degenerating Tropical Storm Mario could carry into the San Diego region.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Over time, your appliance builds up with minerals from hard water, such as calcium and magnesium, diminishing its ability to effectively clean your items.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
14 Mar. 2026
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The drumbeat for the diminishing prospects of the first-run syndication business has been growing louder over the past few years amid a shrinking marketplace.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devolving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolving. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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