degeneracy

[ dih-jen-er-uh-see ]

/ dɪˈdʒɛn ər ə si /

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noun

degenerate state or character.

the process of degenerating; decline.

degenerate behavior, especially behavior considered sexually deviant.

Physics. the number of distinct quantum states of a system that have a given energy.

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Origin of degeneracy

First recorded in 1655–65; degener(ate) + -acy

OTHER WORDS FROM degeneracy

non·de·gen·er·a·cy, noun, plural non·de·gen·er·a·cies.pre·de·gen·er·a·cy, nounun·de·gen·er·a·cy, noun

Words nearby degeneracy

De Gaulle, Charles, degauss, degausser, degearing, degenderize, degeneracy, degeneracy pressure, degenerate, degenerate matter, degenerate state, degeneration

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use degeneracy in a sentence

A few funny things happened this spring as the U.S. hurtled along the road to fiscal degeneracy.
Our Swiftly Melting Deficit, Or How the U.S. is Killing It|Daniel Gross|May 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
My father is convinced that everything I wear is newly bought, another marker in my ongoing pattern of degeneracy.
The Men on the Dais|Daphne Merkin|January 2, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Among High Churchmen, weakened by the secession, the growth of degeneracy was still more evident.
The English Church in the Eighteenth Century|Charles J. Abbey and John H. Overton
But in the course of time the Avesta was subjected to many additions and interpretations, called the Zend, which show degeneracy.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I|John Lord

In spite of reforms by improved compositions and legislative measures the degeneracy of the Gilds proceeded apace.
The Influence and Development of English Gilds|Francis Aiden Hibbert
It is by reason of the widely-reaching influence of their degeneracy that their later history is of importance.
The Influence and Development of English Gilds|Francis Aiden Hibbert
Ignorance contributed to the rapid degeneracy of the people in the old home sections of New York.
The Leaven in a Great City|Lillian William Betts

British Dictionary definitions for degeneracy

degeneracy

/ (dɪˈdʒɛnərəsɪ) /

noun plural -cies

the act or state of being degenerate

the process of becoming degenerate

physics the number of degenerate quantum states of a particular orbital, degree of freedom, energy level, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

degeneracy

Origin of degeneracy

OTHER WORDS FROM degeneracy

Words nearby degeneracy

Words related to degeneracy

How to use degeneracy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for degeneracy