| Main Entry: | deteriorate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | decay, degenerate |
Synonyms: |
adulterate, alloy, be worse for wear, become worse, break, corrode, corrupt, crumble, debase, debilitate, decline, decompose, degrade, deprave, depreciate, descend, disimprove, disintegrate, ebb, fade, fail, fall apart, flag, go downhill, go to pieces, go to pot, go to the dogs, hit the skids, impair, injure, languish, lapse, lessen, lose it, lose quality, lower, mar, pervert, regress, retrograde, retrogress, rot, sink, skid, slide, spoil, undermine, vitiate, weaken, wear away, worsen |
| Notes: | to degenerate means 'to decline in value, move lower on a scale' but to deteriorate means 'to worsen, to become lowered, or be reduced in value'; degenerate pertains more to character and virtue while deteriorate is more about loss of strength or vitality |
Antonyms: |
build, construct, develop, get better, improve |
| Main Entry: | adulterate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | alter or debase, often for profit |
Synonyms: |
alloy, amalgamate, attenuate, blend, cheapen, commingle, contaminate, cook, corrupt, cut*, defile, degrade, denature, depreciate, deteriorate, devalue, dilute, dissolve, doctor up, doctor*, falsify, impair, infiltrate, intermix, irrigate, lace, make impure, mingle, mix, phony up, plant*, pollute, shave, spike*, taint, thin, transfuse, vitiate, water down, weaken |
Antonyms: |
clarify, clean, cleanse, distill, filter, free, purify, refine |
| Main Entry: | age |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | become older |
Synonyms: |
decline, deteriorate, develop, get along, grow, grow feeble, grow old, grow up, mature, mellow, push, put mileage on, ripen, wane |
| Notes: | epoch applies to the beginning of a new period marked by radical changes and new developments - while era applies to the entire period; age denotes a period identified with some dominant personality or characteristic and period pertains to any portion of time |
| Main Entry: | bite |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | corrode, eat away |
Synonyms: |
burn, consume, decay, decompose, deteriorate, dissolve, eat into, engrave, erode, etch, oxidize, rot, rust, scour, sear, slash, smart, sting, tingle, wear away |
| Main Entry: | come down |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | worsen |
Synonyms: |
decline, decrease, degenerate, descend, deteriorate, fail, fall, go downhill, reduce, suffer |
Antonyms: |
boost, improve |
| Main Entry: | corrode |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | wear away; eat away |
Synonyms: |
bite, canker, consume, corrupt, destroy, deteriorate, erode, gnaw, impair, oxidize, rot, rust, scour, waste |
Antonyms: |
aid, build, fortify, help |
| Main Entry: | crack up |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | break down mentally |
Synonyms: |
become demented, become psychotic, blow a fuse, collapse, come apart at seams, decline, derange, deteriorate, fail, flip out, freak out, go bonkers, go crazy, go nuts, go off deep end, go off rocker, go out of mind, go to pieces, have breakdown, schizz out, sicken |
Antonyms: |
be calm |
| Main Entry: | crumble |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | break or fall into pieces |
Synonyms: |
break up, collapse, crumb, crush, decay, decompose, degenerate, deteriorate, disintegrate, dissolve, fragment, go to pieces, granulate, grind, molder, perish, powder, pulverize, putrefy, triturate, tumble |
Antonyms: |
build, put together |
| Main Entry: | decline |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | lessen, become less |
Synonyms: |
abate, backslide, cheapen, decay, decrease, degenerate, depreciate, deteriorate, diminish, disimprove, disintegrate, droop, drop, dwindle, ebb, fade, fail, fall, fall off, flag, go downhill, go to pot, go to the dogs, hit the skids, languish, lapse, lose value, lower, pine, recede, relapse, retrograde, return, revert, rot, sag, settle, shrink, sink, slide, subside, wane, weaken, worsen |
Antonyms: |
improve, increase, rise |
| Main Entry: | decrease |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | grow less or make less |
Synonyms: |
abate, calm down, check, contract, crumble, curb, curtail, cut down, decay, decline, degenerate, depreciate, deteriorate, devaluate, die down, diminish, droop, drop, drop off, dry up, dwindle, ease, ebb, evaporate, fade, fall off, lessen, let up, lighten, lose edge, lower, modify, narrow down, peter out, quell, quiet, reduce, restrain, run low, settle, shrink, shrivel, sink, slack off, slacken, slash, slow down, slump, soften, subside, tail off, wane, waste, weaken, wear away, wear down, wither |
Antonyms: |
add, develop, enlarge, expand, grow, increase, raise |