v., -rat·ed, -rat·ing, -rates.

v.tr.

To diminish or impair in quality, character, or value: Time and neglect had deteriorated the property.

v.intr.

1. To grow worse; degenerate: The weather deteriorated overnight. His health had deteriorated while he was in prison.
2. To weaken or disintegrate; decay: The nation's highways are deteriorating at a rapid pace.

[Late Latin dēteriōrāre, dēteriōrāt-, from Latin dēterior, worse.]

deterioration de·te'ri·o·ra'tion n.
deteriorative de·te'ri·o·ra'tive adj.

ADVERTISEMENT

verb

1. To become lower in quality, character, or condition: atrophy, decline, degenerate, descend, 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, degenerate, fade, fail, flag², languish, sink, wane, waste (away), weaken. Informal fizzle (out). Idioms: go downhill, hit the skids. See increase/decrease, strong/weak.
3. To become or cause to become rotten or unsound: break down, decay, decompose, disintegrate, molder, putrefy, rot, spoil, taint, turn. Idioms: go bad, go to pot, go to seed. See better/worse, thrive/fail/exist.

v

Definition: decay, degenerate
Antonyms: build, construct, develop, get better, improve

---

IN BRIEF: To grow worse.

The environment will continue to deteriorate until pollution practices are abandoned. We need to make vast changes in human behavior. — B. F. Skinner.

Tutor's tip: Deteriorating was the final winning word in the 1934 National Spelling Bee.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - forringe, forværre, svække
v. intr. - forringes, forværres, svækkes

Nederlands (Dutch)
verslechteren, erger maken

Français (French)
v. tr. - détériorer, abîmer
v. intr. - se détériorer (le matériel), s'altérer, s'abîmer, dégénérer, se dégrader (la situation), se détériorer (la santé, le temps)

Deutsch (German)
v. - verschlechtern, herunterkommen, verfallen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - επιδεινώνω/-ομαι, χειροτερεύω, φθείρω/-ομαι, σκαρτεύω, χαλάω, εκφυλίζομαι

Italiano (Italian)
deteriorare, peggiorare, deteriorarsi

Português (Portuguese)
v. - deteriorar

Русский (Russian)
портить, портиться

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - deteriorar, empeorar, degenerar
v. intr. - deteriorar, empeorar, degenerar

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - förvärras, urarta

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
使恶化, 使退化, 使下降, 使堕落, 恶化, 退化, 质量下降, 堕落

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 使惡化, 使退化, 使下降, 使墮落
v. intr. - 惡化, 退化, 質量下降, 墮落

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 질을 하락 시키다, 악화시키다
v. intr. - 나빠지다, 타락하다, 저하하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 悪くなる, 悪くする, 低下する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يسو, يتدهور‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮קלקל, החמיר‬
v. intr. - ‮הידרדר, התקלקל‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.