degenerate
Americanverb (used without object)
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to fall below a normal or desirable level in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate.
The morale of the soldiers degenerated, and they were unable to fight.
- Synonyms:
- retrogress, backslide, decline, worsen
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to diminish in quality, especially from a former state of coherence, balance, integrity, etc..
The debate degenerated into an exchange of insults.
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Pathology. to lose functional activity, as a tissue or organ.
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Evolution. (of a species or any of its traits or structures) to revert to a simple, less highly organized, or less functionally active type, as a parasitic plant that has lost its taproot or the vestigial wings of a flightless bird.
verb (used with object)
adjective
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having fallen below a normal or desirable level, especially in physical or moral qualities; deteriorated; degraded.
a degenerate king.
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having lost, or become impaired with respect to, the qualities proper to the species or kind.
a degenerate vine.
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characterized by or associated with degeneracy.
degenerate times.
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Mathematics. pertaining to a limiting case of a mathematical system that is more symmetrical or simpler in form than the general case.
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Physics.
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(of modes of vibration of a system) having the same frequency.
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(of quantum states of a system) having equal energy.
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noun
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a person who has declined, as in morals or character, from a type or standard considered normal.
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a person or thing that reverts to an earlier stage of culture, development, or evolution.
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a sexual deviate.
verb
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to become degenerate
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biology (of organisms or their parts) to become less specialized or functionally useless
adjective
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having declined or deteriorated to a lower mental, moral, or physical level; debased; degraded; corrupt
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physics
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(of the constituents of a system) having the same energy but different wave functions
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(of a semiconductor) containing a similar number of electrons in the conduction band to the number of electrons in the conduction band of metals
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(of a resonant device) having two or more modes of equal frequency
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(of a code) containing symbols that represent more than one letter, figure, etc
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(of a plant or animal) having undergone degeneration
noun
Other Word Forms
- degenerately adverb
- degenerateness noun
- nondegenerate adjective
- nondegenerately adverb
- nondegenerateness noun
- predegenerate adjective
- undegenerate adjective
- undegenerated adjective
- undegenerating adjective
Etymology
Origin of degenerate
First recorded in 1485–95; from Latin dēgenerātus “declined,” past participle of dēgenerāre “to decline from an ancestral standard, deteriorate”; equivalent to de- + generate
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I’m kind of glad that I’m not so much of a degenerate anymore.
From Los Angeles Times
Wingtech representatives responded that the Dutch intervention was "incomprehensible" and meant the row "degenerated needlessly".
From Barron's
My dad’s always treated me like I was just another thing sucking his hard-earned money out of his pocket; now, I’m also the degenerate who cost him an interview.
From Literature
These stellar remnants behave in unusual ways, since their internal structure makes them shrink as they gain mass, which is why they are known as degenerate stars.
From Science Daily
A subtle pathos, along with the playwright’s verbal sophistication, prevents the play from degenerating into a collegiate vaudeville.”
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
