ATROPHIED Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

atrophied

verb

Definition of atrophied

past tense of atrophy

as in deteriorated

to become worse or of less value in the years following the closing of the last textile mill, the town atrophied

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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 atrophied The house was a metaphor for the coldness of a relationship that’s faded and atrophied. — Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026 Scorched buildings are propped up by once-temporary beams that have atrophied into permanent reminders. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Sep. 2026 As the volunteer fire service has atrophied, the diversity of calls fire departments respond to have expanded. — Julia Levine, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2026 Building that processing infrastructure at commercial scale in the US involves not only capital expenditure but also workforce development in a sector where domestic technical expertise has atrophied. — Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 25 May 2026 Their defense industry and defense forces have atrophied. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026 While limited-government instincts seem to have atrophied for many Republicans, Duffy has retained the good sense of opposing government bailouts for private companies. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 3 May 2026 These periods of wealth aligned with higher oil production, which has since atrophied. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026 What if the act of getting back onstage becomes proof that the muscle has atrophied or that someone’s sense of humor got stuck a decade ago? — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrophied

Verb

How much longer the current cycle can continue may depend on market breadth, which has deteriorated.

— Sarah Min, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
Johnson in March 2026 observed that Jones’ mental health had deteriorated in the previous three months.

— Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of deteriorated

Verb

Long Beach Powerful waves crumbled large sections of the boardwalk on the Long Beach Peninsula and left several homes with severe structural damage.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
As recruiting migrates from Friday Night Lights to the transfer portal, that old infrastructure has crumbled.

— Chris Park, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of crumbled

Verb

Insecurity, which has worsened around the country, is also set to figure as a major point of contention.

— Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Mike McDaniel’s implementation of his wide-zone offense hasn’t gone well, and the situation has worsened as injuries along the offensive line have piled up.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of worsened

Verb

Dozens of federal agents descended on Omar Alexander Muñoz's residential cul-de-sac in Commerce, a small city in Los Angeles County, to make the arrest.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
Advertisement Within minutes, the festival grounds descended into chaos.

— Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of descended

Browse Nearby Words

atrocity

atrophied

atrophies

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“Atrophied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrophied. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of atrophied

verb

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