degeneration

[ dih-jen-uh-rey-shuhn ]

/ dɪˌdʒɛn əˈreɪ ʃən /

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noun

the process of degenerating.

the condition or state of being degenerate.

Pathology.

a process by which a tissue deteriorates, loses functional activity, and may become converted into or replaced by other kinds of tissue.
the condition produced by such a process.

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Origin of degeneration

First recorded in 1475–85, degeneration is from the Late Latin word dēgenerātiōn- (stem of dēgenerātiō). See de-, generation

OTHER WORDS FROM degeneration

non·de·gen·er·a·tion, noun

Words nearby degeneration

degeneracy, degeneracy pressure, degenerate, degenerate matter, degenerate state, degeneration, degenerative, degenerative joint disease, degerm, degerminate, de Ghelderode

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

How to use degeneration in a sentence

Over the years, Sullivan Ramirez herself has struggled with nerve degeneration and scleroderma, a rare condition that involves the tightening of the skin and connective tissues.
Poison in the Air|by Lylla Younes, Ava Kofman, Al Shaw and Lisa Song, with additional reporting by Maya Miller, photography by Kathleen Flynn for ProPublica|November 2, 2021|ProPublica
Quiroz has also identified a woman with a protective genetic mutation that kept her from developing cognitive impairments and brain degeneration even though her brain showed high levels of amyloid, a protein implicated in Alzheimer’s development.
Eight ways scientists are unwrapping the mysteries of the human brain|Hannah Thomasy|August 25, 2021|MIT Technology Review
The brain slowly undergoes degeneration in a way similar to aging.
Breakthrough NASA Study Discovers Surprising Key to Astronauts’ Health in Space|Shelly Fan|December 2, 2020|Singularity Hub
Meanwhile, Staahl was looking at treatment for disorders that specifically lead to neural degeneration – something that had not previously been part of Doudna’s lab’s research prior to him joining.
Scribe Therapeutics launches a platform for engineering CRISPR-based therapeutics|Darrell Etherington|October 6, 2020|TechCrunch

Unfortunately this is the degeneration of synaptic junctions and the inability of growing new neurons.
How Psilocybin Can Save the Environment - Issue 90: Something Green|Mark MacNamara|September 30, 2020|Nautilus
Writing on stars are mostly about gossip and scandal, a degeneration into lifestyle reporting.
Scarlett Johansson is an Alien Seductress in ‘Under the Skin’|Jimmy So|April 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And in her final years, when she was blinded by macular degeneration and suffocating with emphysema, vanity left her isolated.
Understanding Diana Vreeland, ‘Empress of Fashion’|Robin Givhan|November 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Two things become more likely with age, she said: degeneration and cancer.
World Science Festival: Can We Really Live to 1,000?|Casey Schwartz|June 5, 2011|DAILY BEAST
When RPE cells die, as they do in macular degeneration, the photoreceptors begin to die, too, and the patient goes blind.
Saving Sight, Testing Faith|Sharon Begley|May 16, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Except in this disease, the degeneration indicates a serious blood condition.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Sir John had lately noticed another degeneration, namely, in the quality of the London gas.
With Edged Tools|Henry Seton Merriman
The degeneration of the original species is still greater in our climates.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
Finally he takes to drinking and becomes a picture of degeneration.
The Range Boss|Charles Alden Seltzer
That any degeneration might come in by the way, that the printed text might contain blunders, was not perceived.
The Age of Erasmus|P. S. Allen

British Dictionary definitions for degeneration

degeneration

/ (dɪˌdʒɛnəˈreɪʃən) /

noun

the process of degenerating

the state of being degenerate

biology the loss of specialization, function, or structure by organisms and their parts, as in the development of vestigial organs

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
the resulting condition

electronics negative feedback of a signal

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

degeneration

Origin of degeneration

OTHER WORDS FROM degeneration

Words nearby degeneration

Words related to degeneration

How to use degeneration in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for degeneration