degenerate
verb (used without object)
to fall below a normal or desirable level in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate.
had degenerated
-
past perfectof degenerate.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Hilary prompted the first-ever tropical storm watches and warnings in California, but officials now say it had degenerated into a post-tropical low when it hit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2024
Then, four years later, 45-year-old Sudan was put down because of wounds to his skin that would not heel - and his muscles and bones had degenerated.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2020
Despite the success of all of those movements, however, with all of the hopes and aspirations of their supporters over the last century, Europe had degenerated into a horrendous and costly war.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020
A pair of sociologists who spent time in some Midwestern nursing homes in the early nineteen-seventies discovered that reality-orientation training had degenerated into farce:
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 1, 2018
The issues had degenerated to who would win.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
