1
as in weak
having lost forcefulness, courage, or spirit
a degenerate society in which people had no sense of being citizens, only consumers
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2
as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
a movie about a gang of degenerate drug dealers
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as in pervert
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard
a degenerate who is uninterested in anything but his own gratification
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as in to deteriorate
to become worse or of less value
over the years the community-minded organization degenerated into a club for loafers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degenerate
Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Ammon did appear tempted to talk the walk in Portland, to become the Mormon cowboy philosopher king wandering a degenerate realm of an ailing Republic, but by now time was in extremely short supply.
—Matt Thompson, SPIN, 5 Nov. 2024
David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2025
At another point, a surface-to-air missile takes out a passenger airliner, something that really happened — but the attack is as purposeless here as the tragic original event, other than to remind us that Valet, who surveys the wreckage for valuables, is a degenerate.
—Boris Fishman, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Zephyr Teachout, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for degenerate
Adjective
There was alarm at the prospect of hundreds of thousands of soldiers returning to the U.S. with such degenerate experience under their belts, and presumably spreading these habits among hitherto innocent American wives.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Ammon did appear tempted to talk the walk in Portland, to become the Mormon cowboy philosopher king wandering a degenerate realm of an ailing Republic, but by now time was in extremely short supply.
—Matt Thompson, SPIN, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
This 24-hour dive near Uptown is for true degenerates looking to extend the party to unholy hours.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2025
At another point, a surface-to-air missile takes out a passenger airliner, something that really happened — but the attack is as purposeless here as the tragic original event, other than to remind us that Valet, who surveys the wreckage for valuables, is a degenerate.
—Boris Fishman, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
When leaders of any kind stop appealing to the common advantage and instead become motivated by self-interest, their government degenerates: Monarchy, for example, becomes tyranny, without so much as a handshake.
—Zephyr Teachout, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for degenerate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degenerate
Adjective
-
Relief on that levy—which stacks on top of Liberation Day tariffs—could be a boon for the Asian nation at a time when domestic demand is weak.—
Bloomberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
-
There, interactions between streams of liquid iron generate a magnetic field one quintillion times more powerful than that of an ordinary lab magnet (but thousands of times weaker than the Sun’s).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The technology included corrupt automatic shuffling machines that read cards and predicted which player had the best hand.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
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Porter’s story was viewed largely as a cautionary tale of a corrupt athlete… until this week, when the FBI dropped news of a much wider NBA betting scandal that shed light on Porter’s possible motivations.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Gooneral’s attendees didn’t care that Malone was, from all available evidence, not a gooner at all but rather an unaffiliated, lone-wolf pervert.—
Daniel Kolitz,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Boiled down to a thoughtless pervert by the public, Six became one.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, the property has passed hands from private owner to private owner, hidden from view off a lonely winding road, slowly deteriorating over the years.—
Amanda Rosa
October 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
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Grid operators are warning of steep increases in electricity demand for the first time in decades, leading utilities to race to expand capacity by reviving plans for natural-gas plants or building new ones, and, in some regions, even extending the life of deteriorating coal facilities.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Of the 20 dead cats, eight were too decayed for a necropsy exam, which determines the cause of death of a dead animal and any associated diseases or injuries.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
7 Aug. 2025
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The breakthrough came when researchers focused on coelomic fluid, the internal liquid surrounding the sea stars’ organs, rather than tissue from decayed specimens.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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For Capone, this high precedence of pinworm was incredibly surprising, given that the samples were over 1,000 years old and the DNA would have been highly degraded over such a long period of time.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Amazon’s own websites, Prime Video, and Alexa experienced degraded service.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This quickly descended into hilarity when the coaches further ambushed their unwilling challengers with a full-court press for the entire 12 minutes.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Oct. 2025
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In a 20-second black and white video of the strike posted to X, a small boat can be seen apparently sitting motionless on the water when a long thin projectile descends on it, triggering an explosion.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Next, a creamy chocolate filling makes a decadent base for light and fluffy mousse.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
25 Oct. 2025
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This peanut butter, scotch, cream, and whole-egg cocktail is a decadent addition to home bar arsenal.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degenerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degenerate. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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