degenerate
verb (used without object)
to fall below a normal or desirable level in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate.
has degenerated
-
present perfectof degenerate (3rd person singular).present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
Over the past two years, the lush greenery of the marshes has degenerated and yellowed, killed by salinity building up from two years of insufficient fresh-water inflow.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2022
The placenta has taken over the functions of nutrition and waste and the production of estrogen and progesterone from the corpus luteum, which has degenerated.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Her sight has degenerated in recent years to the point where her Paralympic category was downgraded from S13, the least impaired of three categories of sight-impaired Paralympic swimmers, to the middle category, S12.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 19, 2021
But today this has degenerated as we see a reprise of the very narrow conception of liberty that Dewey and his contemporaries attacked as outmoded and out of step with the modern world.
From Salon ● May 31, 2020
More than once in past history the task has proved too much for the man who essayed it, and the orderly retreat has degenerated into a shambling rout.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, March 1, 1916 by Sir Owen Seaman
