DEGENERATED Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

degenerated 1 of 2

adjective

as in deteriorated

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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

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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 degenerated

Verb

These days, oversight hearings have degenerated into partisan brawls. — David Wippman, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026 Fay degenerated on Tuesday, but by Thursday afternoon was once again a strengthening tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, moving west at 6 mph in the central Atlantic, according to the hurricane center. — Robin Webb, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026 The Philadelphia Eagles drastically overhauled their playbook after their offense degenerated in 2025, and the technical and philosophical changes Hurts must master demand a departure from the comfort zones of past systems. — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Now, Artnet News reports that her troubles have compounded, with the loss of a seven-acre house in the Hamptons, sold in a sidewalk foreclosure auction that quickly degenerated as police were called to intervene. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 8 Sep. 2026 In the Atlantic Ocean, former Tropical Storm Cristobal weakened and degenerated into a post-tropical remnant low on Thursday, the center said. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 Macron’s highest aspirations to, as a modern Talleyrand, inject himself and solve global issues such as Ukraine, Africa’s Sahel, Syria, Lebanon, or Iran have fallen short, degenerated into petty feuds, or backfired. — Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026 Last fall, a Krousty Sabaïdi giveaway promoted by popular French influencer Fares Salvatore, who has more than 868,000 followers on TikTok, degenerated into mayhem when the call-out attracted 3,000 teenagers. — Vivian Song, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026 Murderous encounters dating to the Risdon Cove settlement eventually degenerated into the Black War (1804–30), a period of great physical conflict between the Aboriginal population and European settlers. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for degenerated

Adjective

Clark said the supports are needed because equipment used in the investigation is too heavy and difficult to maneuver safely on the deteriorated floor.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
According to the officer, the decision to classify Sands' death as such was the result of the deteriorated condition of his body.

— Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 27 June 2026

Definition of deteriorated

Verb

The company crumbled after John Carreyrou, then a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, broke the story in 2015 that Theranos wasn’t using its own technology to run most of its blood tests.

— Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2026
In the southwestern town of Limoges, the city hall’s 19th-century bell tower crumbled under a mass of flames.

— Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of crumbled

Adjective

The audit, released Monday, identified a host of issues, including regulators’ failure to meet regular inspection schedules or to conduct sufficient random checks at dispensaries for contaminated products.

— Christopher Osher, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
To break the chains of infections stemming from contaminated needles, Soqo has proposed supplying thousands of sterile needles and syringes to communities of methamphetamine users.

— David Cox, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of contaminated

Verb

But as the other two phases descended into disaster for USC (6-2, 3-2), its defense could only hold for so long.

— Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Rather than entering a lower orbit and remaining there for several days before re-entry, the rocket stage may have descended immediately.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of descended

Adjective

Wildfires in Indonesia are also the source of widespread haze that’s blanketing much of the region and making Southeast Asian cities such as Singapore and Kuala Lumpur among the world’s most polluted.

— Jay Ganglani, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
And everybody, ranging from workers in forced labor, to communities next to a polluted lake, to the companies that are less prepared to operate in a volatile and uncertain world, are paying the bill.

— Ben Vanpeperstraete, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of polluted

Verb

But Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, widely viewed as a potential top contender for the position, has declined to pledge not to run.

— Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Aguilar declined to take the rest of the day off but then activated the fire alarm system after the meeting and tried to leave the building.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of declined

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degenerate

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“Degenerated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degenerated. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of degenerated

adjective

verb

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