deterioration

American  

[dih-teer-ee-uh-ray-shuhn] / dɪˌtɪər i əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

• deteriorations
  plural

1. 

   the act or process of deteriorating.

2. the state or condition of having deteriorated.

3. a gradual decline, as in quality, serviceability, or vigor.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondeterioration
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• deteriorations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of deterioration

1650–60; < Late Latin dēteriōrātiōn- (stem of dēteriōrātiō ), equivalent to dēteriōrāt ( us ) ( see deteriorate) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

If something is in a state of deterioration, it's getting worse. A crumbling old house with a caved-in roof and foot-tall weeds growing through the deck is going through deterioration. Deterioration implies that things are falling apart: something once in good condition is now weakened, worn out, or otherwise in decline. Things often undergo deterioration because of neglect. Time also has a lot to do with deterioration. Museum curators are always worried about stopping the deterioration of their prized antiquities, like the ancient Egyptian mummies that should not be exposed to air.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deterioration deteriorations

That raised an important question for Blau, Bhutani and their colleagues: Could the same biological pathway contribute to the deterioration of cartilage as animals age or recover from injury?

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

A deterioration in the labor market or a rotation out of European government bonds could help—along with substantial policy shifts by the federal government.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

“Investor sentiment is clearly concerned with a much more structural industry deterioration, which would in turn require a much more structural BMW response – as especially VW has detailed in recent months.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Patrick believes B6 vitamins could help other Parkinson's patients, both in emergency settings, but also in some cases of long-term cognitive deterioration.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Before Kepler had time to make any decision, a deterioration in the religious situation made the decision for him.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

By 01:40 to her death, Child D had dramatic deteriorations at different points.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2022

For the film, we created several CVR audios, with different iterations and deteriorations and "parasite" sounds with different layers so during the film you could, like the character, understand what happened during the crash.

From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2022

Along with the deteriorations caused by age, weak adherence to safety standards, poor maintenance and corruption among enforcement bodies are all considered contributors to such disasters.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2021

Manufacturers reported longer lead times as trucking issues and capacity shortages led to what the survey said was one of the greatest deteriorations in vendor performance on record.

From Reuters ● Sep. 23, 2021

Some of these variations are indifferent, some deteriorations, some improvements—that is, such as enable the plant or animal to exercise its functions to greater advantage.

From Darwiniana; Essays and Reviews Pertaining to Darwinism by Asa Gray

Related Words

• decline
• degradation
• depreciation
• devaluation
• disintegration
• dislocation
• downturn
• slump
• worsening