Dictionary

deteriorate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /dəˈtɪɹ.i.eɪt/ (General-American, proscribed)
• /dɪˈtɪɹ.iə.ɹeɪt/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /diˈtɪɹ.iə.ɹeɪt/ (General-American)
• /dəˈtɪɹ.iə.ɹeɪt/ (General-American)
• /dɪˈtɪə.ɹɪ.eɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation, proscribed)
• /dɪˈtɪə.ɹɪə.ɹeɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Late Latin dēteriorātus, perfect passive participle of Late Latin dēteriorō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), further from Latin dēterior (“worse”). Cognate with French détériorer.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make worse; to make inferior in quality or value; to impair.
   • The art of war, like every other art, ecclesiastical architecture alone excepted, was greatly deteriorated during those years of general degradation[…] 1829, Robert Southey, “(please specify the page)”, in Sir Thomas More: or, Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of Society. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: John Murray, […], →OCLC:
   • to deteriorate the mind
2. (intransitive) To grow worse; to be impaired in quality; to degenerate.
   • It was turning into an abysmal afternoon for Newcastle and it deteriorated further when Tiote saw red for his challenge on Jon Ashton. 2011 January 8, Paul Fletcher, “Stevenage 3 - 1 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 29 Feb 2012:
   • During this fine run through Fife the weather had deteriorated rapidly, and as we passed Wormit and came onto the Tay Bridge heavy rain clouds were piled over the sea. 1947 January and February, O. S. Nock, “"The Aberdonian" in Wartime”, in Railway Magazine, page 7:
   • The condition of the tunnel continued to deteriorate, aggravated by the vibration from the heavy traffic, and stories of trains emerging with dislodged bricks on their roofs are probably not exaggerated. 1959 August 14, J. E. Norris, “The Worcester & Hereford Railway—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 533:
   • Among other work done, according to the letter: CPR replaced the bottom of a deteriorating stair column base with hollow steel structural sections; conducted exploratory demolition on the underside of an eave that required “removal and reconstruction”; and removed all loose “cracked, spalled, deteriorated, and delaminated concrete” and damaged stucco from the underside of balcony eaves on 114 of the building’s 136 units, the letter said. 2021 July 2, Eliott C. McLaughlin, Alta Spells, Francesca Giuliani-Hoffman, “Firm held off on repairs because of stability issues in months before Surfside building collapse”, in CNN, archived from the original on 22 Nov 2021:

Forms

Antonyms

ameliorate · better · improve · revamp

Deriveds

biodeteriorate · undeteriorated · deteriorator

Relateds

deteriorable · deterioration · deteriorative

Synonyms

nerf · weaken · worsen · rust · to go off · degenerate

Translations (95)

el χειροτερεύω (make worse) · da ødelegge (make worse) · pt piorar (make worse) · fi rappeutua (grow worse) · ru уху́дшить (make worse) · mi whakamōnenehu (grow worse) · no ødelegge (make worse) · fi rappeuttaa (make worse) · ja 悪くなる (grow worse) · la deterioror (grow worse) · pt piorar (grow worse) · da skænde (make worse) · sa भ्रंशते (grow worse) · de verschlechtern (grow worse) · ja 悪化させる (make worse) · he הדרדר (grow worse) · lt blõginti (make worse) · tr bozmak (make worse) · pl pogarszać się (grow worse) · da forværres (grow worse) · bg развалям (make worse) · bg влошавам се (grow worse) · no forverre (make worse) · hu rosszabbodik (grow worse) · nl verslechteren (grow worse) · sv försämra (make worse) · el χειροτερεύω (grow worse) · cs zhoršit se (grow worse) · la dēteriorō (make worse) · ja 改悪する (make worse) · da forværre (make worse) · cmn 惡化 /恶化 (grow worse) · he דרדר (make worse) · et halvenema (make worse) · es deteriorar (make worse) · da skændes (grow worse) · mi tauheke (grow worse) · no forverres (grow worse) · cmn 使……惡化 /使……恶化 (make worse) · cs zhoršit (make worse) · sv försämras (grow worse) · ga meathlaigh (grow worse) · ru ухудша́ть (make worse) · gd mùth (grow worse) · la gravō (make worse) · bg развалям се (grow worse) · pl pogorszyć (make worse) · la aggravō (make worse) · cy dirywio (make worse) · fi rapistua (grow worse) · vo badikumön (grow worse) · fi huonontaa (make worse) · fi heikentää (make worse) · pl pogarszać (make worse) · cmn 使……變壞 /使……变坏 (make worse) · fr détériorer (make worse) · ko 악화되다 (grow worse) · pt deteriorar (grow worse) · ja 悪くする (make worse) · hu leront (make worse) · bg влошавам (make worse) · ru ухудша́ться (grow worse) · no nedbrytes (grow worse) · pt estragar (make worse) · ja 悪化する (grow worse) · es deteriorar (grow worse) · he החמיר (make worse) · de sich verschlechtern (grow worse) · ga meath (grow worse) · de verschlechtern (make worse) · ckb لە بار کەوتن (grow worse) · it deteriorare (make worse) · mi tipuheke (grow worse) · no skjemme (make worse) · gd rach bhuaithe (grow worse) · da nedbrydes (grow worse) · pl pogorszyć się (grow worse) · mi māwhe (grow worse) · tr kötüleşmek (grow worse) · it deteriorarsi (grow worse) · mi tāmatemate (grow worse) · no skjemmes (grow worse) · tr bozulmak (grow worse) · nl verslechteren (make worse) · vo badükumön (make worse) · ckb لە بار کەوتن (make worse) · pt deteriorar (make worse) · nl slechter maken (make worse) · fi vahingoittaa (make worse) · lt blogė́ti (grow worse) · cmn 變壞 /变坏 (grow worse) · ru уху́дшиться (grow worse) · et alla käima (make worse) · fi heiketä (grow worse) · fi huonontua (grow worse)