1
as in degenerate
having lost forcefulness, courage, or spirit
a candidate who vehemently rejects the idea that liberalism is a decayed political philosophy
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Relevance
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2
as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown
we routinely throw all decayed or unwanted organic matter into our compost heap
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in decomposed
to go through decomposition
the logs decayed on the rain forest floor the atom of plutonium decayed in the test chamber
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2
as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
the restaurant's standards for food and service had decayed over the years
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3
as in faded
to lose bodily strength or vigor
having reached her 80s, the woman could sense that her body was decaying
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decayed
Adjective
-
In a guest role that’s been extremely well hidden in the months leading up to the premiere, Bradley Cooper turns heel as Elijah Gemstone, a degenerate con man who sees right through Abel Grieves’s lucrative scam before plugging him in the forehead.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2025 -
In theory, the walls of carbon nanotubes house a sea of degenerate electrons that have a similar density to metals.—
The Physics arXiv Blog,
Discover Magazine,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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How does this not end up with boots smelling like rotten eggs?—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Mar. 2025
-
In total, it's fixed more than 23 million rotten links on Wikipedia alone, according to the organization.—
Emma Bowman,
NPR,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The inside story of how this relationship deteriorated is worth a read.—
Chris Branch,
The Athletic,
8 Jan. 2025
-
The increase in tests came as relations with the United States and its regional allies deteriorated and Pyongyang pulled closer to Russia.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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However, a weaker dollar, resulting from tariffs and other policies, makes that harder for exporters.—
Brendan Coffey,
Sportico.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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After seven episodes of pained teeth-gritting and wide-eyed astonishment, he’s found closure in confronting the man who killed his father (or not) and finding only a weak old guy too sickly to punch.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The rest of the batting order crumbled as sure as night follows day.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes,
31 Dec. 2024
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As their world crumbled around them, many found hope in a dance ritual that adherents believed would ultimately spark an upheaval in which their enemies would be ousted and their once-free existence restored.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA TODAY,
29 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Those at high-risk for listeria infection are newborns, those who are pregnant, have weakened immune systems, and those aged 65 or older.—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
3 Jan. 2025
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But the militants, while greatly weakened, have repeatedly regrouped, often after Israeli forces withdraw from areas.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Apple spent years ignoring RCS, allowing iPhones to offer a degraded messaging experience with Android users.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
1 Apr. 2025
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Figure 4 shows an example of a daytime camera image in degraded visibility conditions, of a 1 m wide buoy at a range of 2 nautical miles (3.6 miles).—
Sabbir Rangwala,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The coins were apparently stored in a leather pouch, which had disintegrated over time, and concealed within or behind a kitchen wall, according to the Jerusalem Post.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Jan. 2025
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Roberto Mancini did make up with Carlos Tevez (or, at least, was willing to tolerate him) after their relationship at Manchester City appeared to have disintegrated.—
Daniel Taylor,
The Athletic,
29 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Decayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decayed. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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