atrophy
noun
Also atrophia a wasting away of the body or of an organ or part, as from defective nutrition or nerve damage.
have atrophied
-
present perfectof atrophy.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.
Any principles beyond those have atrophied into invisibility.
From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2025
He noted that North Korea's conventional ground forces "have atrophied over time" as Kim has advanced his nuclear weapons and missile programs.
From Reuters ● Mar. 23, 2023
“Even if our relationship-building muscles have atrophied, with a bit of work they’ll regain their strength.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 1, 2022
Most of today’s baseball players appear to have atrophied into uni-dimensional hitters who swing for the fences and strike out at a rate that has risen 50% in the last 16 years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2022
“The cells in your systems have atrophied and are dead,” she said sharply.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
