atrophies

verb

present tense third-person singular of atrophy
as in deteriorates
to become worse or of less value in the years following the closing of the last textile mill, the town atrophied

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of atrophies Otherwise the ability to work independently atrophies. — Illia Smoliienko, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026 Marcus Pettersson Pettersson’s form, as is typical for most non-play driving defensive defencemen as the health of a wider two-way environment atrophies, has looked poor for long stretches of this season. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026 But if American political life continues to become coarser and more corrupt, and its hard power is repeatedly misused while its soft power atrophies, keeping those two things separate is going to be a lot more difficult. — Stephen M. Walt, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2025 The hippocampus is primarily responsible for memory and learning, and commonly shrinks, or atrophies, after a stroke. — New Atlas, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrophies
  1. deteriorates
  2. crumbles
  3. worsens
  4. descends
  5. declines
Verb
  • If the unrest continues, confidence deteriorates further or market tensions intensify, growth could be even weaker.
    — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
  • As her brother Aldwin’s mental health deteriorates, Lil considers risking her future to travel to him.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of deteriorates
Verb
  • When new, concrete possesses a thin, temporarily protective layer that, if not maintained, will wear away, exposing the interior, which gradually crumbles.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The Packers’ identity is that of a team that can’t shut the door, one that crumbles when momentum turns in a hostile away environment.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of crumbles
Verb
  • Although researchers and experts know that hormonal changes can influence how the nervous system processes pain and may heighten pain sensitivity, researchers have yet to establish whether declining estrogen directly worsens fibromyalgia.
    — Cheyenne Buckingham, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2026
  • French bond turmoil worsens French social and political volatility is compounded by an emerging fiscal crisis, which on Thursday pushed its benchmark government borrowing cost to a fresh 24-year high.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of worsens
Verb
  • As the meal goes on and Rob seems to become increasingly inebriated, the night descends into nonsensical confrontations between Rob and the bartender, Rob and producers, Rob and his brother, and, finally, Rob and Michaella.
    — Zoe Papelis, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The rest of the film quickly descends into various levels of nightmarish weirdness.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of descends
Verb
  • The Salt Lake County clerk requests assistance to secure the polls, but the sheriff, unsure about jurisdiction, declines.
    — Barton Gellman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Steep declines across the tech space, led by Meta and the chip sector, saw Nasdaq log its worst day since June.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of declines

Browse Nearby Words

atrophied
atrophies
atrophy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Atrophies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrophies. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wraith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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 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?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All