deteriorate
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
deteriorates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deteriorated,
past participle, past
-
deteriorating
present participle
-
to make or become worse or inferior in condition, character, quality, value, etc.
- Synonyms:
- worsen, decline, degenerate
-
to disintegrate or wear away.
verb
-
to make or become worse or lower in quality, value, character, etc; depreciate
-
(intr) to wear away or disintegrate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
deterioratesimple
-
deterioratessimple
-
have deterioratedperfect
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has deterioratedperfect
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am deterioratingprogressive
-
are deterioratingprogressive
-
is deterioratingprogressive
-
have been deterioratingperfect progressive
-
has been deterioratingperfect progressive
Past
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deterioratedsimple
-
had deterioratedperfect
-
was deterioratingprogressive
-
were deterioratingprogressive
-
had been deterioratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deteriorate
First recorded in 1565–75; from Late Latin dēteriōrātus “made worse,” past participle of dēteriōrāre “to make worse,” from Latin dēterior “worse,” from dē de- + -ter-, element in adjectives relating to spatial orientation + -ior, comparative suffix; cf. exterior, interior
Explanation
When something gets worse due to neglect or an unfortunate health problem, stuff starts to deteriorate — or fall apart. The word deteriorate describes anytime something gets worse. Due to neglect, a relationship can deteriorate but so can the American highway system. Sadly, there seems to be no end to applications for the word deteriorate. And, the truth is at a certain age we all start deteriorating too.
Vocabulary lists containing deteriorate
List 3
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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.
See Examples For:
A September survey by the Gradus research company found that 40% of Ukrainians were considering relocating if living conditions continued to deteriorate; 35% said they would not move elsewhere, while 25% were undecided.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Your mother needs a plan, assuming her health will continue to deteriorate.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Fearing supply shortages, Iranians are rushing to buy fuel and food as living standards deteriorate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
In these diseases, the retina's photoreceptor cells, which detect incoming light, gradually deteriorate and die.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
At the same time, people began to move out of the old row houses in East and West Baltimore, as those began to deteriorate as well.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
If your health deteriorates, claiming earlier means you will enjoy your benefits now.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
She said she wanted to use her voice to support parents navigating loss because "their capacity just deteriorates", because it is "exhausting and distressing to be reliving things and having to find a fight".
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
SB Energy warned in the filing that it is substantially dependent on OpenAI and could be materially harmed if the AI company’s financial condition deteriorates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
But he also said that "if the situation really deteriorates and shipping were to come to a standstill, we could not rule out an impact on our results".
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Now, in the days and weeks after Vincent's death, his health deteriorates further.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Across the Atlantic in Africa, the situation deteriorated in the Congo basin, where rainforest loss reached 2.4 million hectares -- near the same level of deforestation as the Amazon for the first time.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Luxury demand has deteriorated in the third quarter,” BofA warned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
One measurement, known as T1rho, suggested that cartilage in the inner knee deteriorated more slowly among participants who changed their walking pattern.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
The former long-haul truck driver said his health deteriorated so significantly while he was detained that, afterward, he could no longer pass the required physical assessment because of his vision and breathing issues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Relations deteriorated after this, and in May, I persuaded the ANC of the need for me to make a visit to the king and Buthelezi.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Scientists are still investigating exactly why physical performance begins deteriorating relatively early in adulthood.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
The economics of trucking are deteriorating fast — and it’s particularly bad in California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
The council said human rights in Afghanistan were deteriorating and voiced serious concern about the "grave, worsening, widespread and systematic oppression of all women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban".
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
Previously, he would have had to fumble with a paper map that risked deteriorating in the jungle humidity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
All they knew for certain was that the deteriorating conditions had brought out the worst in Julio.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
