degenerate Definition
de·gen·er·ate (dē jen′ər it, di-; for v., --āt′)
adjective
- having sunk below a former or normal condition, character, etc.; deteriorated
- morally corrupt; depraved
Etymology: L degeneratus, pp. of degenerare, to become unlike one's race, degenerate < degener, not genuine, base < de-, from + genus, race: see genus
noun
a degenerate person, esp. one who is morally depraved or sexually perverted
intransitive verb -·at′ed, -·at′·ing
- to lose former normal or higher qualities
- to decline or become debased morally, culturally, etc.
- Biol. to undergo degeneration; deteriorate
degenerate Related Forms
de·gen′·er·ately adverb
de·gen′·er·ate·ness noun
degenerate Synonyms
degenerate Synonyms
degenerate Usage Examples
Object
- primer: All virus isolates tested were successfully amplified using degenerate primers designed by Deng et al; 1994.
- disk: In a degenerating disk, the major problem is a reduction in the water content, affecting its ability to resist compressive forces.
- worker: It did attempt to say what a workers ' state, or a degenerated workers ' state, was or was not.
- state: This was a token, not of progress, but of an unnatural and degenerate state of things.
- form: One might, I suppose, once have argued in desperation that there were after all great revolutions, but in a degenerated form.
Preposition: into
- toccata: Buxtehude's obviously out - except for the one or two that don't degenerate into toccatas.
- farce: Ticket sales for the 2004 Sidmouth festival degenerated into near farce early in May.
- chaos: Before the whole thing degenerated into chaos, of course.
- mess: Your coordination and efficiency break down and the movement degenerates into a sloppy, shapeless mess.
- violence: We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.
- abuse: I was also nervous that the meeting would degenerate into verbal abuse between people of different views.
Modifies a noun
- case: NOTE essentially, the degenerate case of a linked list.
- form: It has been, until recently, wrongly dismissed as a degenerate form of Buddhism Ceremony and ritual are emphasized.
Modifying Another Word
- quickly: Seasonal marches could also quickly degenerate into communal rioting.
- rapidly: The imperialist world is rapidly degenerating into total farce!
- slowly: The type of disease, these children had also involved the brain and they would slowly degenerate over a number of years.
- soon: The game soon degenerated into a midfield battle with neither team able to show much in the way of creativity.
- easily: The latter can too easily degenerate into psychic manipulation.
- sometimes: Under these conditions debate sometimes degenerated into quibbles over points of Portuguese grammar.
Browse dictionary entries near degenerate
- ‹ degeneracy
- ‹ degearing
- ‹ degauss
- ‹ Degas, (Hilaire Germain) Edgar
- ‹ degas
- ‹ deg
- ‹ defy
- ‹ defuse
- ‹ defund
- ‹ defunct

