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deteriorate

[ dih-teer-ee-uh-reyt ]
/ dɪˈtɪər i əˌreɪt /
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See synonyms for: deteriorate / deteriorated / deteriorating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object), de·te·ri·o·rat·ed, de·te·ri·o·rat·ing.
to make or become worse or inferior in condition, character, quality, value, etc.
to disintegrate or wear away.
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Origin of deteriorate

1565–75; <Late Latin dēteriōrātus made worse (past participle of dēteriōrāre), equivalent to Latin dēterior worse ( from + -ter- formative in adjectives of spatial orientation (cf. exterior, interior) + -ior comparative suffix) + -ātus-ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM deteriorate

de·te·ri·o·ra·tive, adjectiveun·de·te·ri·o·rat·ed, adjectiveun·de·te·ri·o·ra·tive, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use deteriorate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for deteriorate

deteriorate
/ (dɪˈtɪərɪəˌreɪt) /

verb
to make or become worse or lower in quality, value, character, etc; depreciate
(intr) to wear away or disintegrate

Derived forms of deteriorate

deterioration, noundeteriorative, adjective

Word Origin for deteriorate

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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