| Main Entry: | regress |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | return to earlier way of doing things |
Synonyms: |
backslide, degenerate, deteriorate, ebb, fall away, fall back, fall off, go back, lapse, lose ground, recede, relapse, retreat, retrogress, revert, roll back, sink, throw back, turn back |
Antonyms: |
develop, grow, progress |
| Main Entry: | back |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | put in reverse direction |
Synonyms: |
backtrack, drive back, fall back, recede, regress, repel, repulse, retire, retract, retreat, reverse, turn tail, withdraw |
Antonyms: |
advance, go forward |
| 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: | 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 |
Antonyms: |
build, construct, develop, get better, improve |
| Main Entry: | fall |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | descend; become lower |
Synonyms: |
abate, backslide, be precipitated, break down, buckle, cascade, cave in, collapse, crash, decline, decrease, depreciate, diminish, dip, dive, drag, droop, drop down, dwindle, ease, ebb, flag, flop, fold up, go down, gravitate, hit the dirt, keel over, land, lapse, lessen, nose-dive, pitch, plummet, plunge, recede, regress, relapse, settle, sink, slip, slope, slump, spin, stumble, subside, take a header, tip over, topple, totter, trail, trip, tumble, wane |
Antonyms: |
ascend, climb, go up, rise, scale |
| Main Entry: | recede |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | withdraw; diminish |
Synonyms: |
abate, back, close, decline, decrease, depart, die off, diminish, drain away, draw back, drop, dwindle, ebb, fade, fall back, flow back, go away, go back, lessen, reduce, regress, retire, retract, retreat, retrocede, retrograde, retrogress, return, shrink, sink, subside, taper, wane |
Antonyms: |
advance, forge, forward, increase |
| Main Entry: | relapse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | deteriorate, weaken |
Synonyms: |
backslide, be overcome, be overtaken, degenerate, fade, fail, fall, fall back, lapse, recidivate, regress, retrogress, revert, sicken, sink, slide back, slip back, suffer, turn back, worsen |
Antonyms: |
get better, heal, progress, strengthen |
| Main Entry: | retire |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | leave a place or responsibility |
Synonyms: |
absent oneself, decamp, deny oneself, depart, draw back, ebb, exit, fall back, get away, get off, give ground, give up work, give way, go, go away, go to bed, go to one's room, go to sleep, hand over, hit the sack, leave service, make vacant, part, pull back, pull out, recede, regress, relinquish, remove, repeal, rescind, resign, retreat, revoke, run along, rusticate, secede, seclude oneself, separate, sever connections, stop working, surrender, take off, turn in, withdraw, yield |
Antonyms: |
begin, enter, join |
| Main Entry: | retreat |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | pull back, go away |
Synonyms: |
abandon, avoid, back, back away, back down, back off, back out, backtrack, beat it, cave in, decamp, depart, disengage, draw back, ebb, elude, escape, evacuate, evade, fall back, fold, give ground, go, go along with, go back, hand over, hide, keep aloof, keep apart, lay down, leave, move back, opt out, pull out, quail, quit, recede, recoil, reel, regress, relinquish, resign, retire, retrocede, retrograde, reverse, run, seclude oneself, sequester, shrink, start back, turn tail, vacate, withdraw |
Antonyms: |
advance, face, forge, meet |
| Main Entry: | revert |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | return to an earlier, less-developed condition |
Synonyms: |
about-face, backslide, change, come back, decline, degenerate, deteriorate, fall off the wagon, flip-flop, go back, hark back, inverse, invert, lapse, react, recrudesce, recur, regress, relapse, resume, retrograde, retrogress, return, take up where left off, throw back, transpose, turn, turn back |
Antonyms: |
develop, grow, progress |