| Main Entry: | degenerate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | decay, deteriorate |
Synonyms: |
backslide, come apart at seams, corrode, corrupt, decline, decrease, deprave, descend, die on vine, disimprove, disintegrate, fall off, go downhill, go to pieces, go to the dogs, lapse, lessen, regress, retrogress, return, revert, rot, sink, slip, vitiate, 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: |
develop, improve |
| Main Entry: | fade |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | dwindle, die out |
Synonyms: |
abate, attenuate, clear, decline, deliquesce, deteriorate, die away, die on vine, dim, diminish, disappear, disperse, dissolve, droop, ebb, etiolate, evanesce, evanish, evaporate, fag out, fail, fall, flag, fold, hush, languish, lessen, melt, melt away, moderate, perish, peter out, poop out, quiet, rarefy, shrivel, sink, slack off, taper, thin, tire, tucker out, vanish, wane, waste away, weaken, wilt, wither |
Antonyms: |
enhance, improve, recover, strengthen |
| Main Entry: | languish |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | droop; become dull, listless |
Synonyms: |
be disregarded, be neglected, brood, conk out, decline, desire, despond, deteriorate, die on vine, dwindle, ebb, fade, fag, fag out, fail, faint, fizzle out, flag, go soft, go to pieces, grieve, hanker, hunger, knock out, long, pine, repine, rot, sicken, sigh, snivel, sorrow, suffer, tucker, waste, waste away, weaken, wilt, wither, yearn |
Antonyms: |
flourish, grow, improve, strengthen |