1
as in to worsen
to become worse or of less value
the garden slowly deteriorated after months of neglect
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
childish name-calling that merely deteriorates what should be a serious discussion on an important issue
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deteriorate
But instead of improving, L’s mental health deteriorated.
—
Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
In the case of the Smurl family, the patriarch’s deteriorating mental health was speculated as the culprit for what was happening at the house.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025
Richards remembers that the relationship began to deteriorate during Sheen’s time on Two and a Half Men.
—Lizzie Hyman, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
This shift suggests that public patience has eroded as prices remain high, with a strong majority concluding that conditions are deteriorating rather than improving.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
In the case of the Smurl family, the patriarch’s deteriorating mental health was speculated as the culprit for what was happening at the house.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025
Richards remembers that the relationship began to deteriorate during Sheen’s time on Two and a Half Men.
—Lizzie Hyman, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
This shift suggests that public patience has eroded as prices remain high, with a strong majority concluding that conditions are deteriorating rather than improving.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deteriorate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorate
Verb
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Anger has been brewing in the Himalayan nation for years about the country’s worsening youth unemployment and lack of economic opportunities, exacerbated by what many view as a growing disparity between the country’s elite and regular people.—
Sugam Pokharel,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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Pink Light takes the inspiring sports drama genre, where athletes have to overcome obstacles in their sport and personal lives, in a new direction as Browne tackles the worsening debate around trans athletes in the media and political spaces.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Today’s batteries depend on scarce resources like lithium and cobalt and degrade over time.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
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These perform well at low to medium heat, but begin to degrade around 500 °F, potentially releasing harmful fumes that can pose health risks.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That this team won’t crumble in the face of adversity.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Decades of underinvestment have left the country with congested highways, crumbling bridges, crowded airports — and a disjointed passenger rail network that is underfunded and unreliable.—
Ben Jones,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Foreign powers such as Russia and China, which challenge America and its allies from Europe to the Middle East to Taiwan and the South China Sea, have long been accused of exploiting such divisions through disinformation campaigns that inflame tensions and weaken confidence in American governance.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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But around the equinoxes, the natural buffer weakens.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Ross, one of the Democrats to decline AIPAC money, is a relative centrist, according to a GovTrack scorecard, while Foushee and McGarvey, Kentucky’s only House Democrat, are in the middle of the pack ideologically.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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That has declined over the years because of budget constraints.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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We are absolutely not corrupted.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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Microsoft has found no evidence that a recent Windows 11 update can corrupt a PC’s SSD, despite some user reports flagging the issue.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Journalists and television crews from around the world descended on the town of Morwell when the trial began in April, with millions of Australians following proceedings live through one of several popular daily podcasts.—
Alasdair Pal,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
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Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings descend down to the shores of Lake Michigan, where Caleb Williams’ Chicago Bears await.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That transition will bring with it some advantages (the conflict of being a part of the Comcast empire is diminished) but also challenges.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
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Many observers feel that the family’s power in Thailand is diminished, and its long dominant political machine could finally be out of steam.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deteriorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorate. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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