degenerate

[ verb dih-jen-uh-reyt; adjective, noun dih-jen-er-it ]

/ verb dɪˈdʒɛn əˌreɪt; adjective, noun dɪˈdʒɛn ər ɪt /

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See synonyms for: degenerate / degenerated / degenerating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), de·gen·er·at·ed, de·gen·er·at·ing.

to fall below a normal or desirable level in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate: The morale of the soldiers degenerated, and they were unable to fight.

to diminish in quality, especially from a former state of coherence, balance, integrity, etc.: The debate degenerated into an exchange of insults.

Pathology. to lose functional activity, as a tissue or organ.

Evolution. (of a species or any of its traits or structures) to revert to a simple, less highly organized, or less functionally active type, as a parasitic plant that has lost its taproot or the vestigial wings of a flightless bird.

verb (used with object), de·gen·er·at·ed, de·gen·er·at·ing.

to cause degeneration in; bring about a decline, deterioration, or reversion in.

adjective

having fallen below a normal or desirable level, especially in physical or moral qualities; deteriorated; degraded: a degenerate king.

having lost, or become impaired with respect to, the qualities proper to the species or kind: a degenerate vine.

characterized by or associated with degeneracy: degenerate times.

Mathematics. pertaining to a limiting case of a mathematical system that is more symmetrical or simpler in form than the general case.

Physics.

(of modes of vibration of a system) having the same frequency.
(of quantum states of a system) having equal energy.

noun

a person who has declined, as in morals or character, from a type or standard considered normal.

a person or thing that reverts to an earlier stage of culture, development, or evolution.

a sexual deviate.

OTHER WORDS FOR degenerate

1 worsen, decline, backslide, retrogress.

See synonyms for degenerate on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of degenerate

1485–95; <Latin dēgenerātus (past participle of dēgenerāre to decline from an ancestral standard), equivalent to dēde- + gener-, stem of genus race (see genus) + -ātus-ate¹; see generate

OTHER WORDS FROM degenerate

de·gen·er·ate·ly, adverbde·gen·er·ate·ness, nounnon·de·gen·er·ate, adjective, nounnon·de·gen·er·ate·ly, adverb

non·de·gen·er·ate·ness, nounpre·de·gen·er·ate, adjectiveun·de·gen·er·ate, adjectiveun·de·gen·er·at·ed, adjectiveun·de·gen·er·at·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use degenerate in a sentence

There was a lot of positive feedback from people interested in non-gender binary people.
Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem|David Levesley|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She ultimately ditched JSwipe after about a week and found her current, non-Jewish, boyfriend on OkCupid.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
An atheist counsels his fellow non-believers on how not to talk to people of faith.
The Case Against In-Your-Face Atheism|Steve Neumann|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The distinction between over-policing and non-responsiveness was alive and well in Bed-Stuy.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Last summer, Louisiana also banned non-legal adoption, with offenders facing a penalty of $5,000 and up to five years in prison.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking|Tina Traster|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The expatriated ex-rebels became alarmed by the non-receipt of the indemnity instalment and the news from their homes.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
He also states that the Audiencia is virtually non-existent, and so there is no high court in which justice may be sought.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
De moi, je ne say qu'en dire, d'autant que je ne veux affirmer ny le si ny le non en ce dont je n'ay vidence.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Certes le capitaine Merveilles et ses gens monstrerent leur pit non vulgaire.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
It teaches you to take your time, or as the Germans call it, it gives you "Ruhe (repose)," the grand sine qua non!
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay

British Dictionary definitions for degenerate

degenerate

verb (dɪˈdʒɛnəˌreɪt) (intr)

to become degenerate

biology (of organisms or their parts) to become less specialized or functionally useless

adjective (dɪˈdʒɛnərɪt)

having declined or deteriorated to a lower mental, moral, or physical level; debased; degraded; corrupt

physics

(of the constituents of a system) having the same energy but different wave functions
(of a semiconductor) containing a similar number of electrons in the conduction band to the number of electrons in the conduction band of metals
(of a resonant device) having two or more modes of equal frequency

(of a code) containing symbols that represent more than one letter, figure, etc

(of a plant or animal) having undergone degeneration

noun (dɪˈdʒɛnərɪt)

a degenerate person

Derived forms of degenerate

degenerately, adverbdegenerateness, noun

Word Origin for degenerate

C15: from Latin dēgenerāre, from dēgener departing from its kind, ignoble, from de- + genus origin, race

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

degenerate

OTHER WORDS FOR degenerate

Origin of degenerate

OTHER WORDS FROM degenerate

Words related to degenerate

How to use degenerate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for degenerate

Derived forms of degenerate

Word Origin for degenerate