as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
the once-lovely neighborhood has devolved into a squalid slum
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Recent Examples of devolved
Soon the scene devolved into individual battles between officers and rioters.
—
Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
The Delaney Hall visit devolved into a clash when federal law enforcement sought to arrest Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D), who was invited by the lawmakers to the facility but ordered by a federal officer to leave.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 5 Jan. 2026
The testing of the limits of Grok devolved into a free-for-all as users asked it to create sexualized images of celebrities and others.
—The Los Angeles Times, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
William Eklund responded and things devolved from there.
—Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 3 Jan. 2026
The testing of the limits of Grok devolved into a free-for-all as users asked it to create sexualized images of celebrities and others.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
By comparison—and in contrast to its buoyant first season—Stranger Things has devolved into a joyless, uninspired, unidirectional slog.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
The speech was billed as an event to sell his economic agenda, but quickly devolved into a campaign-style speech filled with derogatory insults.
—Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 10 Dec. 2025
The country had devolved into anarchy and total uncertainty.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolved
Verb
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At the time, Denver’s Landmark Preservation office told the Denver Gazette that the old neon was too deteriorated to restore.—
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The already-frosty relationship between Devers and the front office deteriorated to an irreparable level in May, when Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury.—
Verb
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The radical republic that replaced it bore little resemblance to the partner of 1778, having descended into chaos, executions, and ideological extremism that threatened neighboring states.—
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Middle East efforts In Bulgaria, Mladenov held the position of defense minister for a year, before serving as foreign minister from 2010-13, during the uprisings in the Middle East known as the Arab Spring when Syria also descended into civil war.—
Verb
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Oil prices crumbled again a year later, sending Venezuela into economic calamity, with hyperinflation and mass migration out of the country.—
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Though both sides reached a settlement in November, the conflict was an ugly sign of how solidarity between these organizations crumbled in an attempt to persevere.—
Verb
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The backlash could’ve worsened the casualties in the nine-year war.—
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The immense costs associated with the program have only worsened the economic situation, leading to a more stifling environment.—
Verb
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Since the mandate, neural tube defects have dramatically declined in almost every single ethnic population except for Latinos, according to Jaffery.—
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Wiener declined to answer the question in either direction.—
Verb
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After a police operation in Rio de Janeiro in October degenerated into a chaotic shootout, leading to more than 120 deaths, Brazilian civil society groups reacted in horror.—
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Our national political and cultural discourse, especially online, has degenerated into a permanent fever dream.—
Verb
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Davie’s successor will inherit an organization wrestling with its place in a media ecosystem dominated by overseas tech giants, as well as battling enemies closer to home, with conservative politicians and media proprietors wishing to see the BBC diminished during charter renewal.—
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The war diminished Iran’s deterrence capability and exposed the regime’s weakness.—
Cite this Entry
“Devolved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolved. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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