degenerate
verb (used without object)
to fall below a normal or desirable level in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate.
degenerated
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past participleof degenerate.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof degenerate.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
degenerateverb (used without object)to fall below a normal or desirable level in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate.
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.
By 2024, my hobby was starting to feel like work, and it was only a matter of time before the sport degenerated enough to make it official.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
Wingtech representatives responded that the Dutch intervention was "incomprehensible" and meant the row "degenerated needlessly".
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
In contrast, workers are wingless females with smaller body size and degenerated reproductive tracts, usually without a sperm storage organ.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2024
Hilary prompted the first-ever tropical storm watches and warnings in California, but officials now say it had degenerated into a post-tropical low when it hit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2024
It was a neighborhood that had degenerated from Victorian to nothing in particular, a block that had moved into the twentieth century carelessly and uncaringly—and with very limited funds.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
