deteriorate
verb (used with or without object)
to make or become worse or inferior in condition, character, quality, value, etc.
had been deteriorating
-
past perfect progressiveof deteriorate.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
In May this year Patrick said hospital staff called to say his mother, Ann, was close to death, after she had been deteriorating over several months.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
But First Republic struggled nonetheless, and its condition had been deteriorating for weeks.
From New York Times ● May 1, 2023
His heart health had been deteriorating for decades due to coronary artery disease and ischemic cardiomyopathy, diseases in which a buildup of plaque progressively damages the heart and reduces its ability to pump blood.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 27, 2023
But youth mental health had been deteriorating for some time before the pandemic, as psychologists like me have been noticing for at least 10 years.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 8, 2022
Only grammar went all to pieces; it had been deteriorating these last twenty-four hours.
From Frank of Freedom Hill by Samuel A. (Samuel Arthur) Derieux
