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.
Lewy body dementia is the second-most-common form of degenerative dementia, behind Alzheimer’s disease, Vossel said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
By the time he had his first grandchild, at age 72, he had a degenerative spine condition he worried would limit their time together.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
CTE, which stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a degenerative brain disease involving the buildup in the brain of “tau” proteins associated with forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
I had vaguely heard about MS but I really knew nothing about the degenerative disease.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
I told her that I have chronic, degenerative, relapsing-remitting inflammobetigoitis.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
