- present participle of deteriorate.
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
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.
Krems argued in court that his client should be freed because his health is deteriorating in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Scientists are still investigating exactly why physical performance begins deteriorating relatively early in adulthood.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office said earlier the decision had been taken over the "deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and... from the provincial government's deliberate indifference in the war against terrorism".
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
Stacy Meichtry and Chelsey Dulaney report on France’s deteriorating finances and the wild card that could push the country over the edge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Or was the whole fantastic episode merely the figment of a diseased imagination, his own, of a deteriorating mind, a rotting brain?
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
