degenerate

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(dĭ-jĕn'ər-ĭt) pronunciation
adj.
  1. Having declined, as in function or nature, from a former or original state: a degenerate form of an ancient folk art.
  2. Having fallen to an inferior or undesirable state, especially in mental or moral qualities.
  3. Physics. Relating to two or more quantum states that share the same quantum numbers: degenerate energy levels.
  4. Physics. Characterized by great density and consisting of atoms stripped of electrons: degenerate matter.
  5. Medicine. Characterized by degeneration, as of tissue, a cell, or an organ.
  6. Biology. Having lost one or more highly developed functions, characteristics, or structures through evolution: a degenerate life form.
  7. Genetics. Having more than one codon that may code for the same amino acid.
n.
  1. A depraved, corrupt, or vicious person.
  2. A person lacking or having progressively lost normative biological or psychological characteristics.
intr.v., -at·ed, -at·ing, -ates. (-ə-rāt')
  1. To fall below a normal or desirable state, especially functionally or morally; deteriorate: old water pipes that are degenerating with age; a dispute that degenerated into a brawl.
  2. To decline in quality: The quality of his writing degenerated as he continued to drink.
  3. To undergo degeneration.

[Latin dēgenerātus, past participle of dēgenerāre, to depart from one's own kind, deteriorate : dē-, de- + genus, gener-, race.]

degenerately de·gen'er·ate·ly adv.
degenerateness de·gen'er·ate·ness n.

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adjective

    Utterly reprehensible in nature or behavior: corrupt, depraved, flagitious, miscreant, perverse, rotten, unhealthy, villainous. See clean/dirty, good/bad.

verb

  1. To become lower in quality, character, or condition: atrophy, decline, descend, deteriorate, retrograde, sink, worsen. Idioms: go bad, go to pot, go to seed, go to the dogs. See better/worse.
  2. To lose strength or power: decline, deteriorate, fade, fail, flag, languish, sink, wane, waste (away), weaken. Informal fizzle (out). Idioms: go downhill, hit the skids. See increase/decrease, strong/weak.

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adj

Definition: corrupt, deteriorated
Antonyms: moral, upright, virtuous

v

Definition: decay, deteriorate
Antonyms: develop, improve

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A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce


adj.

Less conspicuously admirable than one's ancestors. The contemporaries of Homer were striking examples of degeneracy; it required ten of them to raise a rock or a riot that one of the heroes of the Trojan war could have raised with ease. Homer never tires of sneering at "men who live in these degenerate days," which is perhaps why they suffered him to beg his bread -- a marked instance of returning good for evil, by the way, for if they had forbidden him he would certainly have starved.


1. to change from a higher to a lower form.
2. characterized by degeneration.

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'degenerate'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to degenerate, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Degenerate.
Translations:

Degenerate

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - degenereret
n. - degenereret individ
v. intr. - gå i forfald

Nederlands (Dutch)
ontaarden, gedegenereerd(e)

Français (French)
adj. - dégénéré, corrompu, dépravé
n. - dégénéré
v. intr. - s'abâtardir, (lit, fig) dégénérer

Deutsch (German)
v. - degenerieren, ausarten
n. - degenerierter Mensch od. Tier
adj. - entartet, degeneriert

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - (βιολ., μτφ.) εκφυλίζομαι, διαφθείρομαι, καταντώ
n. - έκφυλος, ανώμαλος, διεφθαρμένος, υποβαθμισμένος
adj. - εκφυλισμένος, υποβαθμισμένος

Italiano (Italian)
degenerare, snaturato

Português (Portuguese)
v. - degenerar
n. - degenerado (m)
adj. - corrupto

Русский (Russian)
вырождаться, дегенеративный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - degenerado
n. - degenerado
v. intr. - degenerar, terminar en, disminuir la calidad, perder actividad funcional, revertir a algo más simple

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - degenerera, urarta
n. - degenererad individ
adj. - urartad, degenererad

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
堕落的, 堕落者, 变态性欲者, 衰退, 变坏, 堕落, 退化

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 墮落的
n. - 墮落者, 變態性欲者
v. intr. - 衰退, 變壞, 墮落, 退化

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 퇴행한, 타락한
n. - 퇴행한 것, 성도착자
v. intr. - 퇴행하다, 상하다, 타락하다

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 退歩した, 退化した
n. - 堕落者, 退化したもの, 変質者
v. - 退歩する, 退化する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) ينحط جسديا أو فكريا أو أخلاقيا, ينحل (الاسم) الشخص المنحط جسديا أو فكريا أو أخلاقيا, الشخص المنحل, يتدهور (صفه) منحل, منحط‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מנוון, מקולקל, מושחת‬
n. - ‮סוטה מין‬
v. intr. - ‮התנוון, התדרדר‬


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mathworld.wolfram.com

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