as in perverts
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard
a degenerate who is uninterested in anything but his own gratification
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in deteriorates
to become worse or of less value
over the years the community-minded organization degenerated into a club for loafers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degenerates
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 27 Dec. 2025
If this group of hardened degenerates was able to enjoy the action at this level, who, exactly, are the spiritual victims of sports betting?
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025
Once Gacy is caught, the media runs with the details — all those bodies crammed in that crawlspace, some of them buried in trenches Gacy made his employees dig out — and paints his victims as runaways or degenerates who put themselves in danger.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
What should be a gripping thriller centered on new, uncharted technology and questionable loyalties degenerates into a jumbled mess.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for degenerates
Noun
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Also, what many now interpret as Kubrick’s exposé of elite perverts was, in fact, mostly Schnitzler’s doing.—
Verb
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When those conditions are absent, performance deteriorates quickly.—
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The Kyiv Post reported Thursday that Ukrainian military officials say Russian units left inside the city are cut off from reliable supply lines and are increasingly surrendering as their position deteriorates.—
Verb
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The other occurs when Marty descends a staircase in the opulent apartment that Kay shares with her rich husband, Milton (Kevin O’Leary).—
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Netflix What happens when a supernatural danger descends on a blissful retirement community?—
Verb
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Academic success means little if a child crumbles under stress.—
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Toby’s display, overall, looks a lot nicer, but when Paul goes to take a slice of his cake from the chocolate case, the whole thing crumbles to a mess.—
Verb
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Sam slips back into her addiction and as her alcoholism worsens, so do the visions and apparitions that seem to be haunting the forest.—
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As climate change worsens, more locations are going to become too hot for data centers.—
Verb
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Independent energy analyst Rachel Ziemba, who agrees major oil companies may hesitate, also notes that declines in the price of crude – the raw material for consumer products like gasoline – are often not fully passed on to consumers.—
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As Gustav aims to work his way back into their lives, Nora retreats into isolation as her mental health increasingly declines.—
Cite this Entry
“Degenerates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degenerates. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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