1
as in deterioration
a change to a lower state or level
English teachers bemoaning the degradation of the language that e-mail and instant messaging have allegedly brought about
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2
as in corruption
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior
the belief that moral degradation is an unmistakable sign of a nation in decline
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degradation
That prospect creates tremendous angst among activists who worry about the degradation of storage canisters over time.
—
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
As originally reported by Universe Today’s Evan Gough, JunoCam began showing signs of degradation during its 47th orbit around Jupiter, and by the 56th orbit, practically every image that was acquired with JunoCam showed signs of corruption.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 3 Sep. 2025
Nakagin itself fared well into the ’80s, but material degradation began to take its toll.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2025
The Great Lakes Legacy Act — which aims to address areas of concern in the basin where longtime industrial contamination has caused environmental degradation — has funded 34 remediation projects across the region since 2004, removing or capping almost 7 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degradation
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
As originally reported by Universe Today’s Evan Gough, JunoCam began showing signs of degradation during its 47th orbit around Jupiter, and by the 56th orbit, practically every image that was acquired with JunoCam showed signs of corruption.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 3 Sep. 2025
Nakagin itself fared well into the ’80s, but material degradation began to take its toll.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2025
The Great Lakes Legacy Act — which aims to address areas of concern in the basin where longtime industrial contamination has caused environmental degradation — has funded 34 remediation projects across the region since 2004, removing or capping almost 7 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degradation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degradation
Noun
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Initial jobless claims indicate only a minimal pickup in layoffs and/or deterioration in labor conditions at present, a positive dynamic.—
Jeffrey Schulze,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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The largest member of the grass family, bamboo is combustible, susceptible to deterioration and weaker in rain, raising legitimate questions about its durability, Arup’s Ho said.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The tech giant has built in a feature called Memory Integrity Enforcement, which is designed to stop attacks targeting memory corruption bugs, often exploited by spyware developers and phone forensic tools used by law enforcement, TechCrunch reports.—
Thomas Brewster,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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The rise is coupled with major political shifts in the country following the election of President Bernardo Arévalo, who vowed to fight corruption, tackle inequality, and rectify the discrimination against Indigenous Peoples after years of democratic erosion and corruption.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Chinese authorities said that headline CPI had slipped into negative territory largely due to the high-base last year and lower food prices, while crediting the narrower decline in producer prices in part to Beijing's efforts in regulating the excessive price competition.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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Apple—which topped the World’s Best Companies list in 2024—is notably absent this year due to a decline in revenue from 2022 to 2024, which many Wall Street analysts have postulated could be due to the company falling behind on AI.—
Charlotte Hu,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On those three dates, variations in the moon's position relative to Earth's equator — particularly its declination — can influence tidal forces that subtly affect Earth's rotation rate.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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Where corporate criminal investigations resolve without filing any criminal charges (through a declination or deferred prosecution agreement), companies should expect victims to still voice their views loudly to the Justice Department and beyond.—
Lisa Zornberg,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degradation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degradation. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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