- present participle of deteriorate.
deteriorating
Americanadjective
-
becoming worse or inferior in condition, character, quality, value, etc..
A deteriorating house, whatever the cause, will have an adverse effect on your real estate investment.
Officials have warned of a deteriorating security situation in the disputed territory.
-
disintegrating or wearing away.
If what you have underneath is fabric or fiberglass, I’d be concerned that deteriorating paint is letting ultraviolet rays do their worst to your aircraft.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deteriorating
First recorded in 1680–90; deteriorate ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. )
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.
To be fair, DWP is replacing about 45 miles annually of deteriorating water lines, with the new pipes built to last as long as 150 years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
That means any deteriorating credit backdrop, a pickup in credit losses or higher yields still could ricochet through private credit or other publicly traded funds.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
At Jantar Mantar too, voices are growing louder for him to call off his fast, with many of those present telling the BBC that they were worried over Wangchuk's deteriorating condition.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
He had listened to Nonie talk about her parents’ deteriorating conditions and was a volunteer hospice worker, familiar with dementia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Morale was deteriorating and it was all Yossarian’s fault.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
