deteriorating

[dih-teer-ee-uh-rey-ting]

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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

• undeteriorating adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of deteriorating¹

First recorded in 1680–90; deteriorate ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Indeed, there is a near consensus among campaigners and experts that things are, instead, deteriorating.

Read more on BBC

One demonstrator told AFP that "living conditions of the Malagasy people are deteriorating and getting worse every day".

Read more on BBC

Czechs go to the polls on Friday and Saturday facing a deteriorating security situation in Europe and fears of Russian interference.

Read more on BBC

But she said her deteriorating condition was not identified, and was only able to see her son Reggie for 10 minutes before going into a coma.

Read more on BBC

Mr Carrido told the inquest he called for consultant help "when there was no improvement in Tommy, when he was deteriorating".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• crummy 
• decaying www.thesaurus.com
• decrepit 
• desolate 
• dilapidated 
• dingy 
• pitiful 
• ramshackle 
• ratty 
• rickety 
• run down 
• scruffy 
• seedy 
• shoddy 
• squalid 
• tacky 
• tattered 
• threadbare 
• worn