degeneration
Americannoun
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the process of degenerating.
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the condition or state of being degenerate.
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Pathology.
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a process by which a tissue deteriorates, loses functional activity, and may become converted into or replaced by other kinds of tissue.
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the condition produced by such a process.
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noun
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the process of degenerating
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the state of being degenerate
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biology the loss of specialization, function, or structure by organisms and their parts, as in the development of vestigial organs
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impairment or loss of the function and structure of cells or tissues, as by disease or injury, often leading to death (necrosis) of the involved part
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the resulting condition
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electronics negative feedback of a signal
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of degeneration
First recorded in 1475–85, degeneration is from the Late Latin word dēgenerātiōn- (stem of dēgenerātiō ). See de-, generation
Explanation
Degeneration is a process of decline. Anything that’s getting worse is going through degeneration. A grand old mansion that’s now abandoned and covered with weeds is in a state of degeneration. When something degenerates, it gets worse in some way, like a house that’s slowly sinking in the mud. This process of decline is called degeneration. The word is from the Latin word degenerare which means "to be inferior to one's ancestors.” Ouch. Now degeneration refers to anything in a state of decline, such as a friendship that was strong and now barely exists.
Vocabulary lists containing degeneration
This Week in Words: April 6–12, 2019
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Tears of a Tiger
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All Quiet on the Western Front
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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.
Solicitor advocate Stephen Biggam, defending, said MacPherson would "steadily lose his eyesight" due to macular degeneration.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Glasses or contact lenses can correct blurry vision, but severe myopia also raises the risk of serious eye problems later in life, including retinal detachment, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
Published in Nature Communications, the findings suggest that a DNA repair mechanism may allow Greenland sharks to preserve their eyesight for centuries without showing signs of retinal degeneration.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
Solicitor-advocate Stephen Biggam, defending, said MacPherson was deaf and suffering from the eye condition macular degeneration.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
A peek at the entries for these words in any dictionary will show that Macdonald was wrong about the inevitable degeneration of a language that is not policed by lexicographers.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
