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Added 9 October 2026

deteriorate

/dɪˈtɪə.ɹɪə.ɹeɪt/ verb

In Latin: aggravō, gravō, dēteriorō Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about deteriorate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Become worse or disintegrate.
His mind deteriorated
Grow worse.
Her condition deteriorated

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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