1
as in weak
having lost forcefulness, courage, or spirit
a degenerate society in which people had no sense of being citizens, only consumers
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2
as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
a movie about a gang of degenerate drug dealers
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as in pervert
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard
a degenerate who is uninterested in anything but his own gratification
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as in to deteriorate
to become worse or of less value
over the years the community-minded organization degenerated into a club for loafers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degenerate
Zachary Siegel, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2024
The result is a book laden with put-downs of the English working class, who are cast in eugenicist terms as a degenerate race.
—Lennard J. Davis, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2024
Patrick Frater, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024
When every game gets presented as a point spread, and when every shot becomes merely an input in a degenerate’s parlay math, the game feels cheapened.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024
That’s where the chaplains come in — to help their fellow 20,000 agents cope and prevent the trauma from degenerating into family crises, addiction or even suicide.
—Giovanna Dell’orto, Sun Sentinel, 1 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for degenerate
Adjective
Or have his years in finance scrambled his brain and turned him into a degenerate gambler, both at the office and outside it?
—Zachary Siegel, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2024
The result is a book laden with put-downs of the English working class, who are cast in eugenicist terms as a degenerate race.
—Lennard J. Davis, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2024
Noun
When valuable treasure is discovered off the coast of Korea, the country’s biggest degenerates come crawling out of the woodwork in the hope of striking it big.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024
When every game gets presented as a point spread, and when every shot becomes merely an input in a degenerate’s parlay math, the game feels cheapened.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
But, if Bardella is the ideal political son-in-law, Attal seemed to be dealing with degenerating family ties.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024
That’s where the chaplains come in — to help their fellow 20,000 agents cope and prevent the trauma from degenerating into family crises, addiction or even suicide.
—Giovanna Dell’orto, Sun Sentinel, 1 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for degenerate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degenerate
Adjective
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Carbonaceous chondrites tend to be weaker and more crumbly than other meteorites, so these objects just don’t stand as much of a chance.—
Patrick M. Shober,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2025
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Then, McIlroy hit a weak drive to the right and was blocked by pines.—
Time,
Time,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Taking away a tool that saves millions of Americans money to boost the tax prep industry's profits is another corrupt giveaway to Big Business.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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By the end of the finale episode, Kingpin has essentially taken control of the entire city and the Punisher is kidnapped by the corrupt police but Daredevil is assembling his own army to combat the tyrant.—
Skyler Trepel,
People.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Using nature without spiritual belief (which Wicked perverts and so gets defended for its obvious, offensive politics) weakens The Wild Robot as a morality tale.—
Armond White,
National Review,
26 Feb. 2025
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The days of pandering to perverts and woke PFCs are over.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The ministry said that due to the sweeping tariffs imposed by the U.S., as well as the U.S.-China trade war, the growth outlook for both the U.S. and China will deteriorate.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
14 Apr. 2025
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Israel-Turkey relations deteriorated in 2010 after Israeli naval commandos intercepted a humanitarian flotilla attempting to breach the blockade on the Gaza Strip.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The plan includes 124 projects designed to dredge sand, rebuild degraded marshes, and add levees, floodgates and storm surge barriers.—
Adeel Hassan,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2025
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Apple spent years ignoring RCS, allowing iPhones to offer a degraded messaging experience with Android users.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Air enters through these grilles, descends vertically some 30 feet (10 meters) and then passes horizontally over four massive swimming pool size water baths, each with a maximum depth of 6.5 feet (two meters).—
Tom Mullen,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
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In an era when political discourse so often descends into outrage and division — on cable news, in Congress, even in school board races — the quiet decency shown in Skokie feels all the more remarkable.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This decadent classic cake has a secret pantry ingredient that helps make this layered delight extra moist.—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
1 Apr. 2025
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This Chocolate Dutch Baby is very simple to make but feels luxurious and decadent.—
Olivia Quintana,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Listen to this article Unvaccinated people who visited Denver Health’s emergency department on Sunday should monitor themselves for signs of measles after a sick child received care there.—
Meg Wingerter,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
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His mother was still sick, and Mr. Sancho-Persad started working as her caregiver in the morning for $18.75 an hour, paid through Medicaid, while still driving his cab at night.—
Jonah Markowitz,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degenerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degenerate. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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