deteriorate
Become progressively worse
Deteriorate means to become worse in quality, condition, or value over time.
Physical things deteriorate—buildings crumble, roads develop potholes, health declines.
Abstract things deteriorate too: relationships, situations, someone's mental state.
The patient's condition deteriorated overnight.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply.
The word implies a gradual process rather than sudden collapse, often suggesting neglect or the natural effects of time and use.
Organic breakdown process
- decomposeBreak into simpler parts
- putrefyDecompose with stench
- molderGradually disintegrate from neglect
- festerDecay or seethe inside
spoil · biodegrade · compost · disintegrate · crumble · perish · blight · wilt
Reduce in strength
- declineDecrease or refuse
- failBe unsuccessful
- worsenBecome more severe
- degenerateDecline morally or physically
atrophy · wither · waste · debilitate · enfeeble · languish · fade · flag
Sharp, biting taste
- strainExcessive stretching force
- frayFight or unravel
- ruptureViolent tearing apart
- breakdownFailure or decomposition
collapse · fracture · crumble · unravel · disintegrate · worsen · decline · erode
Decrease or refuse
- slumpExtended period of decline
- recessionProlonged economic decline
- downturnEconomic decline period
- collapseSudden structural failure
crash · plunge · plummet · drop · fall · shrink · contract · dwindle
Chronic cognitive impairment
- cognitiveRelating to thinking
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
- forgetfulnessFailure to retain information
senility · impairment · disorientation · incoherence · decline · degenerate · regress · diminish
rot
Organic breakdown process
- decomposeBreak into simpler parts
- putrefyDecompose with stench
- molderGradually disintegrate from neglect
fester · spoil · biodegrade · compost · disintegrate · crumble · perish · blight · wilt · mildew
weaken
Reduce in strength
degenerate · atrophy · wither · waste · debilitate · enfeeble · languish · fade · flag · droop
sour
Sharp, biting taste
breakdown · collapse · fracture · crumble · unravel · disintegrate · worsen · decline · erode · weaken
decline
Decrease or refuse
collapse · crash · plunge · plummet · drop · fall · shrink · contract · dwindle · depreciate
dementia
Chronic cognitive impairment
- cognitiveRelating to thinking
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
forgetfulness · senility · impairment · disorientation · incoherence · decline · degenerate · regress · diminish · slip
dilapidated
Ruined through neglect
decrepit · ramshackle · rundown · derelict · ruined · battered · weathered · tattered · frayed · faded
- collapsecollapse, cave in, cave-in, fall in, give way
- decayrot, decay rate, wilt, crumble, decomposition
- declinedecline, in decline, decrease, downswing, on the decline
- deterioratedecay, rot, decompose, corrode, crumble
- escalationescalation, escalate, ratchet up, worsen, intensify
- falling illfall ill, get sick, sicken, take ill, come down with
deteriorateimprove
Raise in quality
ameliorate · better · enhance · upgrade · meliorate
deterioraterecover
Regain health or possession
heal · mend · recuperate · convalesce · restore
deterioration, deteriorated, deteriorating, deteriorates, deteriorations