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/dɪˈkeɪ/ · noun
(biology) Rot; any processes or result of organic matter being gradually decomposed, especially by microbial action..
tooth decay/dental decay—wood-decay fungi—bacterial decay—photochemical decay
I fancied at first the stuff was paraffin wax, and smashed the jar accordingly. But the odor of camphor was unmistakable. It struck me as singularly odd, that among the universal decay, this volatile substance had chanced to survive, perhaps through many thousand years.
He spent himself, the labour of his axe, And leave it there far from a useful fireplace To warm the frozen swamp as best it could With the slow smokeless burning of decay.
civic and moral decay—systemic decay—fall into decay—urban decay—arrested decay—memory decay
Although the best room of the inn, it had the melancholy aspect of grandeur in decay, and was much too vast for comfort.
alpha decay—gamma decay—fission decay—decay chain
exponential decay—decay rate—orbital decay—decay time—decay constant—time decay
Let’s cheere our ſouldiers to incounter him, That grieuous image of ingratitude: That fiery thirſter after Soueraigntie: […] Reſolue my Lords and louing ſouldiers now, To ſaue your king and country from decay:
Use decay when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Decay means (biology) Rot; any processes or result of organic matter being gradually decomposed, especially by microbial action..
Common synonyms include fester, nuclear decay—atomic decay, decline, disintegration.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
tooth decay/dental decay—wood-decay fungi—bacterial decay—photochemical decay
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