deteriorating (C1)

adjective/verb

Pronunciation: dɪˈtɪəriəreɪtɪŋ

Definition

Becoming progressively worse in quality, condition, or health.

Examples

• The patient's health is deteriorating despite the new medication.

• Relations between the two countries have been deteriorating for several months.

• The deteriorating state of the building made it impossible to renovate.

How to Use deteriorating

deteriorate into (phrasal verb)

to change into a worse state — "The peaceful protest quickly deteriorated into a riot."

rapidly deteriorating (collocation)

getting worse very quickly — "We are concerned about the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions."

Synonyms of deteriorating

Words with a similar meaning to deteriorating:

• worsening
• declining
• decaying
• degrading

Antonyms of deteriorating

Words with the opposite meaning to deteriorating:

• improving
• recovering

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