deteriorate
[dih-teer-ee-uh-reyt]
- to make or become worse or inferior in character, quality, value, etc.
- to disintegrate or wear away.
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Origin of deteriorate
Synonyms
See more synonyms for deteriorate on Thesaurus.com1. degenerate, decline, worsen.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for deteriorate
Contemporary Examples
At the same time, the Easter Elchies House began to deteriorate.
Ester Elchies, The Estate Built By WhiskeyDecember 10, 2014
Yet, in pursuit of that ‘great revival of art,’ his anxiety, depression, and overall health began to deteriorate.
As he got older, the two stopped going to the park, and their relationship began to deteriorate.
This includes the ongoing and intensifying insurgency by "Jihadist" militants in Sinai, which continues to deteriorate.
But if the situation continues to deteriorate, that could start to change quickly.
Historical Examples
In contact with the white man the Indian tended to deteriorate.
The Fathers of New EnglandCharles M. Andrews
The result is that it is all far from good and likely to deteriorate rather than to improve.
Rural HygieneHenry N. Ogden
The rations appeared to deteriorate and diminish as the winter advanced.
Lights and Shadows in Confederate PrisonsHomer B. Sprague
There is no doubt that she caused Leonora's character to deteriorate.
The Good SoldierFord Madox Ford
These soups do not deteriorate, so may be continually on hand and thus found most convenient.
American CookeryVarious
deteriorate
- to make or become worse or lower in quality, value, character, etc; depreciate
- (intr) to wear away or disintegrate
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Word Origin
C16: from Late Latin dēteriōrāre, from Latin dēterior worse
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for deteriorate
v.
1640s (as a past participle adjective, 1570s), from Late Latin deterioratus, past participle of deteriorare "get worse, make worse," from Latin deterior "worse, lower, inferior, meaner," contrastive of *deter "bad, lower," from PIE *de-tero-, from demonstrative stem *de- (see de). Originally transitive in English; intransitive sense is from 1758. Related: Deteriorated; deteriorating.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
deteriorate
(dĭ-tîr′ē-ə-rāt′)- To grow worse in function or condition.
- To weaken or disintegrate.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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