degenerating

VERB

decay, deteriorate

Synonyms

STRONGEST

descend disintegrate lapse lessen regress revert worsen

STRONG

backslide corrode corrupt decline decrease deprave retrogress return rot sink slip vitiate

WEAK

come apart at seams die on vine disimprove fall off go downhill go to pieces go to the dogs

Antonyms

STRONGEST

develop grow increase progress

STRONG

aid build help improve rise

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

degenerating

France has been rocked by widespread anger over the rising cost of living and inequality, with nationwide demonstrations on October 17 degenerating into some of the country's worst rioting in years.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Ophelia was kept in hospital for tests for nine days, after which she began a daily oral medication that "maintains muscle cells from degenerating".

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

"Perhaps they can add new brain cells to a network that is degenerating," Salta says.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026

Not to get too philosophical, but everything alive is degenerating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

Goethe's man is a conciliatory and conservative spirit, though in danger of degenerating into a Philistine, just as Rousseau's man may easily become a Catiline.

From Thoughts Out of Season (Part II) by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word