Deteriorate — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

become worse or disintegrate

grow worse

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dɹˈaɪəpˌɪθɪsˌɪd/

🇬🇧British English

/dɪtˈiəɹiəɹˌeɪt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dɪtˈiəɹiəɹˌeɪt/

4 syllables Say it as /dɹˈaɪəpˌɪθɪsˌɪd/.

Examples

His mind deteriorated
Her condition deteriorated
Conditions in the slums degenerated

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

devolve drop degenerate

Antonyms

recuperate

Parts of Speech

verb	become worse or disintegrate “His mind deteriorated”
verb	grow worse “Her condition deteriorated”

Word Forms

deterioration	noun	a symptom of reduced quality or strength
degenerative	adjective	(of illness) marked by gradual deterioration of organs and cells along with loss of function
degeneration	noun	the state of being degenerate in mental or moral qualities

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

verschlechtern

sich verschlimmern oder zerfallen

🇫🇷French

détériorer

empirer ou se désintégrer

🇪🇸Spanish

deteriorarse

empeorar o desintegrarse

🇮🇹Italian

deteriorare

peggiorare o disintegrarsi

🇳🇱Dutch

verslechteren

erger worden of uiteenvallen

🇵🇹Portuguese

deteriorar

piorar ou desintegrar

🇷🇺Russian

ухудшаться

стать хуже или распасться

India

🇮🇳Hindi

बिगड़ना

बदतर हो जाना या बिखर जाना

🇧🇩Bengali

অবনতি

খারাপ হয়ে যাওয়া বা বিচ্ছিন্ন হয়ে যাওয়া

🇮🇳Tamil

கெட்டுவிடும்

மோசமாக அல்லது சிதைந்துவிடும்

🇮🇳Telugu

చెడిపోతాయి

అధ్వాన్నంగా మారడం లేదా విచ్ఛిన్నం కావడం

🇮🇳Marathi

खराब होणे

खराब होणे किंवा विघटित होणे

🇮🇳Gujarati

બગડવું

ખરાબ થવું અથવા વિઘટન કરવું

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕೆಡುತ್ತವೆ

ಕೆಟ್ಟದಾಗಿದೆ ಅಥವಾ ವಿಘಟನೆಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

വഷളാകുന്നു

മോശമാവുക അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ശിഥിലമാവുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਵਿਗੜਨਾ

ਬਦਤਰ ਬਣਨਾ ਜਾਂ ਟੁੱਟ ਜਾਣਾ

🇵🇰Urdu

بگڑنا

خراب ہو جانا یا ٹوٹ جانا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

恶化

变得更糟或崩溃

🇯🇵Japanese

劣化する

悪化するか崩壊する

🇰🇷Korean

악화하다

악화되거나 붕괴됨

🇻🇳Vietnamese

xấu đi

trở nên tồi tệ hơn hoặc tan rã

🇹🇭Thai

เสื่อมโทรม

แย่ลงหรือสลายไป

🇮🇩Indonesian

memburuk

menjadi lebih buruk atau hancur

🇵🇭Filipino

lumala

lalong lumala o nawasak

🇲🇾Malay

merosot

menjadi lebih teruk atau hancur

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

تتدهور

تصبح أسوأ أو تتفكك

🇮🇷Persian

بدتر شدن

بدتر یا متلاشی شدن

🇹🇷Turkish

bozulmak

kötüleşmek veya parçalanmak

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהִתְדַרְדֵר

להחמיר או להתפרק

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'deteriorate'?

The primary meaning of 'deteriorate' is 'become worse or disintegrate'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'deteriorate' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'deteriorate' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'deteriorate' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'deteriorate' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'deteriorate' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'deteriorate' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'deteriorate' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'deteriorate' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'deteriorate' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'deteriorate' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted