ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Deteriorate

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /dɪˈtɪə.ɹɪə.ɹeɪt/ · Part of speech verb

Quick meaning: Deteriorate is a verb meaning (transitive) To make worse; to make inferior in quality or value; to impair.

Meaning

(transitive) To make worse; to make inferior in quality or value; to impair.

More Meanings

  1. (intransitive) To grow worse; to be impaired in quality; to degenerate.

Example Sentences

to deteriorate the mind
It was turning into an abysmal afternoon for Newcastle and it deteriorated further when Tiote saw red for his challenge on Jon Ashton.
The art of war, like every other art, ecclesiastical architecture alone excepted, was greatly deteriorated during those years of general degradation[…]
During this fine run through Fife the weather had deteriorated rapidly, and as we passed Wormit and came onto the Tay Bridge heavy rain clouds were piled over the sea.

Word Forms

Synonyms for deteriorate

Depending on context, synonyms include worsen, nerf, degenerate, weaken, drop.

Antonyms for deteriorate

Common opposites include ameliorate, better, improve, revamp, plain, recover.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include degenerate, drop, worsen, impair, degrade, perish.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.