Nearby Words
verb (used with object), verb (used without object), -rat·ed, -rat·ing.
1.
to make or become worse or inferior in character, quality, value, etc.
2.
to disintegrate or wear away.
Origin:
1565–75; < Late Latin dēteriōrātus made worse (past participle of dēteriōrāre), equivalent to Latin dēterior worse (dē from + -ter- formative in adjectives of spatial orientation (compare exterior, interior) + -ior comparative suffix) + -ātus -ate1
1565–75; < Late Latin dēteriōrātus made worse (past participle of dēteriōrāre), equivalent to Latin dēterior worse (dē from + -ter- formative in adjectives of spatial orientation (compare exterior, interior) + -ior comparative suffix) + -ātus -ate1
Related forms
de·te·ri·o·ra·tive, adjective
un·de·te·ri·o·rat·ed, adjective
un·de·te·ri·o·rat·ing, adjective
un·de·te·ri·o·ra·tive, adjective
Synonyms
1. degenerate, decline, worsen.
1. degenerate, decline, worsen.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Deteriorate
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is defalcate. Does it mean:
| to cease, as from some action or proceeding |
| take fraudulently |
Example Sentences
- At this point, the tape is beginning to deteriorate, so we thought we should transfer it to a media that doesn't dissolve.
- When the weather turns hot, they set seed and deteriorate.
- Not immediately, but it will slowly deteriorate.
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
deteriorate
1570s, from L.L. deterioratus, pp. of deteriorare "get worse," from L. deterior "worse," contrastive of *deter "bad, lower," from PIE *de-tero-, from demonstrative stem *de- (see de). Originally transitive in English; intransitive sense is from 1758.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
deteriorate de·te·ri·o·rate (dĭ-tēr'ē-ə-rāt')
v. de·te·ri·o·rat·ed, de·te·ri·o·rat·ing, de·te·ri·o·rates
To grow worse in function or condition.
To weaken or disintegrate.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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