degenerative
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of degenerative
First recorded in 1840–50; degenerate + -ive
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.
Parkinson's disease is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder that affects the body's motor system, often causing shaking and other difficulties in movement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
CTE is a degenerative brain disease that has been found in people who experience repetitive head trauma and can be diagnosed only after death.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
In setting out Jonathan’s defense, one of the filing’s most striking assertions is that Isak suffered from bilateral gonarthrosis in both knees, a degenerative joint condition that causes cartilage wear, pain, stiffness and reduced mobility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
A few years later he was diagnosed with MND - a degenerative neurological condition which does not yet have a cure.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Katie leaned forward, and I whispered the many problems I’d been suffering, which had led to the diagnosis of chronic, degenerative, relapsing-remitting inflammobetigoitis.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
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.
