Degenerate
/dɪˈdʒenərət/
Definitions
2 meaningsTo decline or worsen in physical, mental, or moral qualities; to deteriorate.
/dɪˈdʒenəreɪt/
To decline or worsen; to lose desirable qualities.
His health began to degenerate after he stopped exercising.
💡 Simply: Think of a once-great cake that's now stale and falling apart. It's degenerating! When something loses its good qualities and gets worse, it's said to degenerate. Example: A friendship can degenerate if you stop communicating.
👶 For kids: To get worse and worse, like when a plant starts to die.
More Examples
The argument quickly degenerated into a shouting match.
Without proper care, the old building will degenerate and fall apart.
How It's Used
"The patient's condition began to degenerate after the operation."
"The political climate threatened to degenerate into chaos."
Having declined or worsened, especially in physical or moral qualities; characterized by degeneration.
/dɪˈdʒenərɪt/
Having lost the physical, mental, or moral qualities considered normal and desirable; showing decline.
The artist's later works were considered degenerate by some critics.
💡 Simply: Imagine a character who is not behaving well. That character is degenerate. It means they've gone downhill, losing good qualities. Example: We see many degenerate behaviors in many of the movies today.
👶 For kids: Something that is getting worse and worse, not better.
More Examples
He accused the media of promoting degenerate values.
The city struggled with a degenerate criminal element.
How It's Used
"The scientist studied the effects of environmental toxins on degenerate cells."
"The novel depicted a degenerate society on the brink of collapse."
From Latin *degenerare* ("to fall off from one's kind"), from *de-* ("down, away") + *genus* ("race, kind").
The term has been used since the 17th century to describe a decline from a former state, often in a moral or societal context.
Memory tip
Imagine a once-strong building slowly crumbling and losing its structure – it's degenerating.
Word Origin
"race, kind"