Definition of DETERIORATE

deteriorate

Verb

  • become worse or disintegrate
    • "His mind deteriorated"
  • grow worse
    • "Her condition deteriorated"
  • To make worse; to make inferior in quality or value; to impair.
  • To grow worse; to be impaired in quality; to degenerate.

Origin / Etymology

Learned borrowing from Late Latin dēteriorātus, perfect passive participle of Late Latin dēteriorō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), further from Latin dēterior (“worse”). Cognate with French détériorer.

Synonyms

degenerate, devolve, drop, nerf, to go off, weaken, worsen

Scrabble Score: 12

deteriorate: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
deteriorate: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
deteriorate: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

deteriorate: valid Words With Friends Word