degenerative
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of degenerative
First recorded in 1840–50; degenerate + -ive
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.
Degenerative arthritis is no longer exclusive to the elderly population.
From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2024
Degenerative diseases are “akin to an act of betrayal against the beauty of one’s accumulated life experiences,” Lee writes in her artist’s statement.
From Scientific American • Aug. 12, 2021
Degenerative and incurable, it is democratic in its reach.
From New York Times • Apr. 30, 2016
Degenerative and incurable, Alzheimer's today afflicts about 4 million Americans, but in the next few decades, as lives get longer and baby boomers get older, that number will rise steeply.
From Time Magazine Archive
Degenerative changes may produce areas of softening or liquefaction which result in the formation of cystic cavities in the interior of the tumour.
From Manual of Surgery Volume First: General Surgery. Sixth Edition. by Thomson, Alexis
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.
