DEGENERATE

debauched, degenerate, degraded, dissipated, dissolute, libertine, profligate, riotous, fast

(adjective) unrestrained by convention or morality; “Congreve draws a debauched aristocratic society”; “deplorably dissipated and degraded”; “riotous living”; “fast women”

pervert, deviant, deviate, degenerate

(noun) a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior

devolve, deteriorate, drop, degenerate

(verb) grow worse; “Her condition deteriorated”; “Conditions in the slums degenerated”; “The discussion devolved into a shouting match”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

degenerate (comparative more degenerate, superlative most degenerate)

(of qualities) Having deteriorated, degraded or fallen from normal, coherent, balanced and desirable to undesirable and typically abnormal.

(of a human or system) Having lost good or desirable qualities.

(of an encoding or function) Having multiple domain elements correspond to one element of the range.

(mathematics) Relating to degeneracy

(physics) Having the same quantum energy level.

Noun

degenerate (plural degenerates)

One who is degenerate, who has fallen from previous stature; an immoral person.

Verb

degenerate (third-person singular simple present degenerates, present participle degenerating, simple past and past participle degenerated)

(intransitive) To lose good or desirable qualities.

(transitive) To cause to lose good or desirable qualities.

Source: Wiktionary


De*gen"er*ate, a. Etym: [L. degeneratus, p. p. of degenerare to degenerate, cause to degenerate, fr. degener base, degenerate, that departs from its race or kind; de- + genus race, kind. See Kin relationship.]

Definition: Having become worse than one's kind, or one's former state; having declined in worth; having lost in goodness; deteriorated; degraded; unworthy; base; low. Faint-hearted and degenerate king. Shak. A degenerate and degraded state. Milton. Degenerate from their ancient blood. Swift. These degenerate days. Pope. I had planted thee a noble vine . . . : how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me Jer. ii. 21.

De*gen"er*ate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Degenerated; p. pr. & vb. n. Degenerating.]

1. To be or grow worse than one's kind, or than one was originally; hence, to be inferior; to grow poorer, meaner, or more vicious; to decline in good qualities; to deteriorate. When wit transgresseth decency, it degenerates into insolence and impiety. Tillotson.

2. (Biol.)

Definition: To fall off from the normal quality or the healthy structure of its kind; to become of a lower type.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

18 November 2024

AWRY

(adjective) not functioning properly; “something is amiss”; “has gone completely haywire”; “something is wrong with the engine”


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