degenerated 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of degeneratednext
as in deteriorated

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

degenerated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of degenerate
as in worsened
to become worse or of less value over the years the community-minded organization degenerated into a club for loafers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for degenerated
  1. deteriorated
  2. worsened
  3. crumbled
  4. contaminated
  5. descended
  6. tainted
Verb
  • 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
Definition of deteriorated
Verb
  • However, wider market fundamentals have not materially altered and have somewhat worsened.
    — Gaurav Sharma, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
  • Early in his treatment, tests showed the chemo had worsened Olson’s anemia.
    — J. David McSwane, ProPublica, 20 Dec. 2024
Definition of worsened
Verb
  • The rest of the batting order crumbled as sure as night follows day.
    — Tim Ellis, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
  • But Indianapolis’ defense crumbled on the ensuing drive, allowing Lock to lead a nine-play, 70-yard TD drive capped by his 5-yard scramble into the end zone.
    — James Boyd, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
Definition of crumbled
Adjective
  • So far, 96 of those samples were negative by polymerase chain reaction testing, or PCR, which detects live virus as well as inactive viral particles, indicating that those cheeses probably weren’t made with contaminated milk.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Once notified of the problem, the three local governments reacted by curtailing use of their contaminated wells and relying more on uncontaminated wells.
    — Kevin Spear, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of contaminated
Verb
  • As tens of thousands of visitors from around the world descended on Miami for the city’s annual art celebration, a lucky few were invited to an immersive experience that blended contemporary art with fashion, mixology, and luxury travel.
    — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 23 Dec. 2024
  • The House descended into chaos Wednesday when the GOP revolt sank a last-minute funding measure to keep the government operating through early next year.
    — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
Definition of descended
Adjective
  • But publishers are often slow to retract tainted papers, even when alerted to obvious fraud.
    — Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2025
  • Publishers, however, are often slow to retract tainted papers, even when alerted to obvious signs of fraud.
    — Guillaume Cabanac, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025
Definition of tainted
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

degenerated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Degenerated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degenerated. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on degenerated

Nglish: Translation of degenerated for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All