deteriorating
Americanadjective
-
becoming worse or inferior in condition, character, quality, value, etc..
A deteriorating house, whatever the cause, will have an adverse effect on your real estate investment.
Officials have warned of a deteriorating security situation in the disputed territory.
-
disintegrating or wearing away.
If what you have underneath is fabric or fiberglass, I’d be concerned that deteriorating paint is letting ultraviolet rays do their worst to your aircraft.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of deteriorating
First recorded in 1680–90; deteriorate ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It’s simple. Brand momentum is fading, share losses are building, and sales per foot are deteriorating, driving sharp margin compression,” Jefferies analyst Randal Konik said in a research note on Friday.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
Raman said Bass had failed to act with urgency on the production of new apartments, repairs to deteriorating infrastructure and the exodus of entertainment industry jobs.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
“Households’ views on their personal financial situation, both past and future, are deteriorating once again,” the statistics agency said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
Whether this is intentional behavior born of the arrogance of power or a symptom of a deteriorating mental state is somewhat beside the point.
From Salon • May 26, 2026
The photo-cell banks were deteriorating more rapidly than had seemed likely.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
