deteriorate
VerbUS[dih-tir-ee-er-eyt]/dɪˈtɪriɚˌeɪt/5 syllables
Open English WordNet
Verb (2)deteriorated, deteriorating
- become worse or disintegrate“His mind deteriorated”More general decay, crumbleMore specific wear, go to pot
- grow progressively worse“Her condition deteriorated”“Conditions in the slums degenerated”“The discussion devolved into a shouting match”Synonyms: devolvedropdegenerateOpposite convalesceMore general worsen, declineMore specific tire, languish, waste
Word of the day · Nov 7About this word
perennialadjective
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
De·te′ri·o·rate (dē-tē′rĭ-ō-rāt), transitive verb [past tense & past participle Deteriorated (dē-tē′rĭ-ō-rā′tĕd); present participle & verbal noun Deteriorating (dē-tē′rĭ-ō-rā′tĭng).]
Origin: L. deterioratus, p. p. of deteriorare to deteriorate, fr. deterior worse, prob. a comparative fr. de down, away.
To make worse; to make inferior in quality or value; to impair; as, to deteriorate the mind. Richard Whately
The art of war... was greatly deteriorated.— Robert Southey
de·te′ri·o·rate (dē-tē′rĭ-ō-rāt), intransitive verb
To grow worse; to be impaired in quality; to degenerate.
Under such conditions, the mind rapidly deteriorates.— Oliver Goldsmith
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54