Synonyms for deterioration
Most common
All synonyms
Noun
1. Worsening
worsening, decline, degradation, degeneration, decay, debasement, failure, retrogression, corruption, declension, failing, downgrade, degeneracy, drop, ebb, descent, devolution, depravation, abasement, disimprovement, lapse, decadence
Other
impairment, exacerbation, aggravation, degenerateness, deteriority dated
Definitions
- n. 1
The process of making or growing worse, or the state of having grown worse.
Related words
- Is a kind of
- change
Forms
- Plural
- deteriorations → worsenings, declines, degradations, degenerations…
Choose the right word
Adulteration, debasement, and deterioration are always used in the bad sense; admixture is neutral, and may be good or bad; alloy is commonly good in the literal sense.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- decline I had to decline the invitation because I was ill.
- degradation Starch degradation is linked to a circadian clock.
- worsening We must prevent the situation from worsening further.
- degeneration Age-related macular degeneration can cause blindness.
- impairment Yanni's visual impairment makes him more vulnerable.
- aggravation That would have saved a lot of aggravation.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| deterioration | falling | |
| decline | steady | |
| degradation | rising | |
| worsening | rising | |
| degeneration | steady | |
| impairment | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- ebb1
- 4 letters
- drop1
- 5 letters
- decay2, lapse1
- 7 letters
- failure2, decline2, failing2, descent2
- 9 letters
- downgrade2, worsening3, decadence3, abasement
- 10 letters
- corruption3, impairment3, devolution4, degeneracy5, declension3, debasement3
- 11 letters
- degradation4, aggravation4, depravation4, deteriority
- 12 letters
- degeneration5, exacerbation5
- 13 letters
- retrogression
- 14 letters
- disimprovement, degenerateness
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (decay2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- détérioration
- Italiano
- deterioramento