'Deteriorate' definitions:
Definition of 'deteriorate'
(from WordNet)
verb
Become worse or disintegrate; "His mind deteriorated"
verb
Grow worse; "Her condition deteriorated"; "Conditions in the slums degenerated"; "The discussion devolved into a shouting match" [syn: devolve, deteriorate, drop, degenerate] [ant: convalesce, recover, recuperate]
Definition of 'Deteriorate'
From: GCIDE
- Deteriorate \De*te"ri*o*rate\ (d[-e]*t[=e]"r[i^]*[-o]*r[=a]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deteriorated (d[-e]*t[=e]"r[i^]*[-o]*r[=a]`t[e^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Deteriorating (d[-e]*t[=e]"r[i^]*[-o]*r[=a]`t[i^]ng).] [L. deterioratus, p. p. of deteriorare to deteriorate, fr. deterior worse, prob. a comparative fr. de down, away.] To make worse; to make inferior in quality or value; to impair; as, to deteriorate the mind. --Whately. [1913 Webster]
- The art of war . . . was greatly deteriorated. --Southey. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'deteriorate'
From: GCIDE
- deteriorate \de*te"ri*o*rate\ (d[-e]*t[=e]"r[i^]*[-o]*r[=a]t), v. i. To grow worse; to be impaired in quality; to degenerate. [1913 Webster]
- Under such conditions, the mind rapidly deteriorates. --Goldsmith. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'deteriorate'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- agent provocateur,
- aggravate,
- alter,
- ameliorate,
- amplify,
- annoy,
- augment,
- be changed,
- be converted into,
- be renewed,
- bottom out,
- break,
- build up,
- change,
- checker,
- chop,
- chop and change,
- come about,
- come around,
- come down,
- come round,
- crumble,
- damage,
- debilitate,
- decay,
- decline,
- decompose,
- deepen,
- degenerate,
- degrade,
- depreciate,
- descend,
- deviate,
- dilapidate,
- disimprove,
- disintegrate,
- diverge,
- diversify,
- embitter,
- endamage,
- enhance,
- enlarge,
- erode,
- exacerbate,
- exasperate,
- fade,
- fall back,
- flag,
- flop,
- get worse,
- go downhill,
- go to pot,
- grow worse,
- harm,
- haul around,
- have a comedown,
- heat up,
- heighten,
- hit rock bottom,
- hot up,
- hurt,
- impair,
- improve,
- increase,
- injure,
- intensify,
- irritate,
- jibe,
- languish,
- lessen,
- let down,
- magnify,
- make acute,
- make worse,
- mar,
- meliorate,
- mitigate,
- modulate,
- mutate,
- provoke,
- put back,
- reach the depths,
- regress,
- relapse,
- retrograde,
- retrogress,
- revive,
- rot,
- sharpen,
- shift,
- sicken,
- sink,
- slacken,
- slide,
- slip,
- slip back,
- sour,
- spoil,
- swerve,
- tack,
- take a turn,
- touch bottom,
- turn,
- turn aside,
- turn into,
- turn the corner,
- undergo a change,
- undermine,
- vary,
- veer,
- warp,
- weaken,
- worsen