| Main Entry: | retrogress |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | backslide |
Synonyms: |
degenerate, retrograde, revert, worsen |
| 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: | 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: | 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: | 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: | 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 |
| Main Entry: | sink |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | fall, decrease |
Synonyms: |
abate, collapse, diminish, drop, lapse, lessen, relapse, retrogress, slip, slump, subside, wane |
Antonyms: |
grow, increase, rise |
| Main Entry: | worsen |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | diminish, decay |
Synonyms: |
aggravate, corrode, damage, decline, degenerate, depress, descend, deteriorate, disintegrate, exacerbate, fall off, get worse, go downhill, impair, lower, retrograde, retrogress, rot, sink |
Antonyms: |
improve, increase |
| Main Entry: | reoccur |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | return |
Synonyms: |
come back, go back, hark back, inverse, invert, lapse, recrudesce, recur, regress, relapse, resume, retrograde, retrogress, revert |