WordValedeteriorate
to become progressively worse
In more detail
1. (verb) to become worse in quality or condition
2. (verb) to cause something to become worse
Examples
- 1. The patient's health began to deteriorate after the surgery.
- 2. Lack of maintenance will deteriorate the building's structure.
How to use deteriorate
Deteriorate is a neutral, formal verb used to describe gradual or progressive worsening of something abstract or concrete—health, relationships, infrastructure, conditions. It emphasizes a process of decline rather than a sudden collapse. While worsen is a close synonym, deteriorate often carries a sense of inevitable or prolonged decline.
Common phrases
- deteriorate rapidly
- deteriorate over time
- conditions deteriorate
- health deteriorates
- the situation deteriorated
Synonyms
decline · worsen · degrade · diminish · regress
Opposites
improve · enhance · strengthen
Word family
deterioration (noun) · deteriorating (adjective) · deteriorated (adjective)
A common mistake
Learners sometimes use deteriorate as a transitive verb without a direct object (e.g., 'the weather deteriorated the road'), when it is primarily intransitive; the transitive use is rare and formal.
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