deteriorates

verb

present tense third-person singular of deteriorate
1
as in worsens
to become worse or of less value the garden slowly deteriorated after months of neglect

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in degrades
to lower in character, dignity, or quality childish name-calling that merely deteriorates what should be a serious discussion on an important issue

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 deteriorates As her brother Aldwin’s mental health deteriorates, Lil considers risking her future to travel to him. — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026 Keep the effort easy enough that your movement quality improves rather than deteriorates. — Dana Santas, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026 Each function can hit its KPI while the overall customer or commercial outcome deteriorates. — Sumit Srivastava, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Cuba has experienced frequent and prolonged blackouts as its aging power infrastructure deteriorates and the country struggles with severe fuel shortages. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2026 Authorities expect that 10% to 15% of remaining residents might leave for the winter months, Tolokonnikov added, perhaps more if the situation deteriorates further. — David Brennan, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026 Production volumes may remain high over a short period, even as supply security deteriorates. — Kari Stoever, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026 As the charging system deteriorates, electronic features may stop working properly. — Michael Kurko, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 Viewers may scan a QR code for their own copy of the audio track, which deteriorates in sound quality with every download. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deteriorates
  1. worsens
  2. degrades
  3. crumbles
  4. weakens
  5. descends
  6. corrupts
  7. declines
  8. humiliates
Verb
  • This yearly bottleneck worsens as changing fee structures make costs hard to predict.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that worsens over time.
    — Jennifer Fields, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of worsens
Verb
  • However, doing so degrades the signal and leads to data-reading errors.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Rich Handel, resident laundry expert at Consumer Reports, warns that mixing heavy fabrics like denim with delicate garments increases friction and degrades the softer material.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of degrades
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
  • If one connection weakens, Halo can use other available links to preserve connectivity.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Precipitation is expected to gradually taper off Thursday afternoon as the storm system moves east and weakens.
    — Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakens
Verb
  • The visuals are too murky even to provide a nasty thrill when a pod of orcas descends on Jay’s gargantuan host.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The sprawling network, which could date as far back as the 8th century BCE, descends roughly 280 feet, housing everything from stables and kitchens to rock-cut churches and escape tunnels.
    — Maya Chawla, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of descends
Verb
  • Forgetting his bond with the land, Mariano awakens the Ch’iqmi, a dark force that corrupts his people.
    — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 25 June 2026
  • One nanny will try to get to the bottom of it before all the partying, power and privilege corrupts her.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of corrupts
Verb
  • And women going through perimenopause and menopause lose muscle even faster because their estrogen declines.
    — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Tracking Wall Street declines overnight, Asia markets tumbled Thursday.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of declines
Verb
  • Filming a scene in which Isaiah humiliates Cam, Withers asked Wayans to crack jokes about Kionte’s death — the defining event of Withers’ life, and his lowest point.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Diomande just humiliates fullbacks.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Definition of humiliates

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Cite this Entry

“Deteriorates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deteriorates. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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