MUTATES Synonyms: 19 Similar and Opposite Words

mutates

verb

present tense third-person singular of mutate

as in changes

to pass from one form, state, or level to another colored lights that slowly mutate from green to blue and so on across the color spectrum

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Recent Examples of mutates Although flu seasons can vary in disease severity, the virus mutates so unpredictably that pandemic flu seasons – like those in 1918, 1957, 1968 and 2009 – are a recurring possibility. —

Katrine L. Wallace, The Conversation, 28 Apr. 2026 Measles mutates slowly enough that researchers can in many cases search for essentially the same strain when tracking its movements. —

Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026 This dynamic drives a phenomenon called antigenic shift meaning that the vaccine paradoxically encourages new mutations and can actually prolong pandemics as the virus constantly mutates to escape the protective effects of the vaccine. —

Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mutates

Verb

The collection changes monthly and appears throughout the property, from restaurants and guest rooms to corridors and public spaces.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 May 2026
As a final point, even if a new law changes the rules in college sports, colleges must actually abide by those rules for a new system to work.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 27 May 2026