degenerate

[ verb dih-jen-uh-reyt; adjective, noun dih-jen-er-it ]

/ verb dɪˈdʒɛn əˌreɪt; adjective, noun dɪˈdʒɛn ər ɪt /

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See synonyms for: degenerate / degenerated / degenerating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), de·gen·er·at·ed, de·gen·er·at·ing.

to fall below a normal or desirable level in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate: The morale of the soldiers degenerated, and they were unable to fight.

to diminish in quality, especially from a former state of coherence, balance, integrity, etc.: The debate degenerated into an exchange of insults.

Pathology. to lose functional activity, as a tissue or organ.

Evolution. (of a species or any of its traits or structures) to revert to a simple, less highly organized, or less functionally active type, as a parasitic plant that has lost its taproot or the vestigial wings of a flightless bird.

verb (used with object), de·gen·er·at·ed, de·gen·er·at·ing.

to cause degeneration in; bring about a decline, deterioration, or reversion in.

adjective

having fallen below a normal or desirable level, especially in physical or moral qualities; deteriorated; degraded: a degenerate king.

having lost, or become impaired with respect to, the qualities proper to the species or kind: a degenerate vine.

characterized by or associated with degeneracy: degenerate times.

Mathematics. pertaining to a limiting case of a mathematical system that is more symmetrical or simpler in form than the general case.

Physics.

(of modes of vibration of a system) having the same frequency.
(of quantum states of a system) having equal energy.

noun

a person who has declined, as in morals or character, from a type or standard considered normal.

a person or thing that reverts to an earlier stage of culture, development, or evolution.

a sexual deviate.

OTHER WORDS FOR degenerate

1 worsen, decline, backslide, retrogress.

See synonyms for degenerate on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of degenerate

1485–95; <Latin dēgenerātus (past participle of dēgenerāre to decline from an ancestral standard), equivalent to dēde- + gener-, stem of genus race (see genus) + -ātus-ate¹; see generate

OTHER WORDS FROM degenerate

de·gen·er·ate·ly, adverbde·gen·er·ate·ness, nounnon·de·gen·er·ate, adjective, nounnon·de·gen·er·ate·ly, adverb

non·de·gen·er·ate·ness, nounpre·de·gen·er·ate, adjectiveun·de·gen·er·ate, adjectiveun·de·gen·er·at·ed, adjectiveun·de·gen·er·at·ing, adjective

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

How to use degenerate in a sentence

What was initially intended to be a celebration of music has degenerated into a weird marriage of fashion and commerce.
Coachella, Oasis For Douchebags and Trust Fund Babies, Should Be Avoided At All Costs|Marlow Stern|April 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The war rapidly degenerated into horrific stalemate in the muddy, rat-infested trenches.
The Art of Strategy: Or How to Fight and Lead Better|James A. Warren|December 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In other hands, this scenario might have degenerated into a caricature-filled freak show.
Richard Porton on Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Behind the Candelabra’|Richard Porton|May 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The scene degenerated, tear gas was used, and that set the stage for the more premeditated confrontations the following night.
French Rage Explodes in Riots|Christopher Dickey|August 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Within the committee, partisan bickering has degenerated to personal distrust.
'Do-Nothing' Congress a Target for Obama in 2012|Patricia Murphy|November 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST
(b) Blood-casts contain red blood-corpuscles, usually much degenerated (Figs. 45 and 60).
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
This term means nothing in itself, but it expresses the fact that a degenerated heart finally refuses to act.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
All the evidence shows how entirely they have degenerated into mere societies of capitalists.
The Influence and Development of English Gilds|Francis Aiden Hibbert
But their kings, from the great wealth which they possessed, degenerated into a luxurious way of life.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3)|Strabo
It is narrative instead of dramatic; fable prevails over action; passion has degenerated into character-drawing.
Rhetoric and Poetry in the Renaissance|Donald Lemen Clark

British Dictionary definitions for degenerate

degenerate

verb (dɪˈdʒɛnəˌreɪt) (intr)

to become degenerate

biology (of organisms or their parts) to become less specialized or functionally useless

adjective (dɪˈdʒɛnərɪt)

having declined or deteriorated to a lower mental, moral, or physical level; debased; degraded; corrupt

physics

(of the constituents of a system) having the same energy but different wave functions
(of a semiconductor) containing a similar number of electrons in the conduction band to the number of electrons in the conduction band of metals
(of a resonant device) having two or more modes of equal frequency

(of a code) containing symbols that represent more than one letter, figure, etc

(of a plant or animal) having undergone degeneration

noun (dɪˈdʒɛnərɪt)

a degenerate person

Derived forms of degenerate

degenerately, adverbdegenerateness, noun

Word Origin for degenerate

C15: from Latin dēgenerāre, from dēgener departing from its kind, ignoble, from de- + genus origin, race

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

degenerate

OTHER WORDS FOR degenerate

Origin of degenerate

OTHER WORDS FROM degenerate

Words related to degenerate

How to use degenerate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for degenerate

Derived forms of degenerate

Word Origin for degenerate