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1. Dictionary

   degenerate

   adjective

   • 1. having lost the physical, mental, or moral qualities considered normal and desirable; showing evidence of decline: "a degenerate form of a higher civilization" Similar debaseddegradedcorruptcorruptedvitiatedbastardimpureOpposite pure
   • 2. lacking some usual or expected property or quality. technical Similar corruptdecadentdissolutedissipateddebauchedrakishreprobateprofligatedepravedperverteddespicablebasevice-riddenwickedsinfulungodlyimmoralunprincipledamoraldishonourabledisreputableunsavourysordidlowmeanignoblelewdlecherouslasciviouslicentiouslibidinousloosepromiscuouswantonlibertineintemperateinformal:pervyOpposite moral
   • ▪ (of a type of equation, curve, etc.) equivalent to a simpler type, especially when a variable or parameter is set to zero.
   • ▪ (of an energy level) corresponding to more than one quantum state.
   • ▪ (of matter) at densities so high that gravitational contraction is counteracted, either by the Pauli exclusion principle or by an analogous quantum effect between closely packed neutrons.
   • ▪ having reverted to a simpler form as a result of losing a complex or adaptive structure present in the ancestral form: "degenerate offshoots from the main line of vertebrate progress"

   noun

   • 1. an immoral or corrupt person: "get out of my house, you degenerate!"

   verb

   • 1. decline or deteriorate physically, mentally, or morally: "the quality of life had degenerated" Similar deterioratedeclinesinkslipslideworsenget/grow worsetake a turn for the worselapsefailfall offslumpgo downhillregressretrogressdecayrotgo to rack and ruininformal:go to potgo to the dogshit the skidsgo down the tubesgo down the toiletgo to the packrare:retrogradedevolvewaste awaywasteatrophyweakenbecome debilitatedOpposite improve

   Word Origin late 15th century: from Latin degeneratus ‘no longer of its kind’, from the verb degenerare, from degener ‘debased’, from de- ‘away from’ + genus, gener- ‘race, kind’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. degenerately adverb

   Scrabble Points: 12

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2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › degenerateDegenerate Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › degenerate

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   The meaning of DEGENERATE is having declined or become less specialized (as in nature, character, structure, or function) from an ancestral or former state. How to use degenerate in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Degenerate.

3. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishDEGENERATE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

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   adjective. formal disapproving uk / dɪˈdʒen.ə.rət / us / dɪˈdʒen.ə.rət / having low standards of behaviour: a degenerate young man. Synonyms. debauched. dissipated formal disapproving. dissolute literary.

4. www.dictionary.com › browse › degenerateDEGENERATE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › degenerate

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   Degenerate definition: to fall below a normal or desirable level in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate. See examples of DEGENERATE used in a sentence.

5. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryDEGENERATE | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

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   DEGENERATE meaning: 1. to become worse in quality: 2. having low standards of behaviour: 3. someone with low…. Learn more.

6. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › degenerateDegenerate - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › degenerate

   1. /dɪˈʤɛnərət/ a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable. 2. /dɪˈdʒɛnəˌreɪt/ grow worse. IPA guide. Other forms: degenerated; degenerates; degenerating; degenerately. If something degenerates, it gets worse, like a food fight that degenerates to an all-out spaghetti-throwing war.

7. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishDEGENERATE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

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   If you say that someone or something degenerates, you mean that they become worse in some way, for example weaker, lower in quality, or more dangerous. Inactivity can make your joints stiff, and the bones may begin to degenerate. American English: degenerate / dɪdˈʒɛnəreɪt /. Brazilian Portuguese: degenerar.

8. www.thefreedictionary.com › degenerateDegenerate - definition of degenerate by The Free Dictionary

   www.thefreedictionary.com › degenerate

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   To fall below a normal or desirable state, especially functionally or morally; deteriorate: old water pipes that are degenerating with age; a dispute that degenerated into a brawl. 2. To decline in quality: The quality of his writing degenerated as he continued to drink. 3. To undergo degeneration.

9. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryDEGENERATE definition | Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

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   DEGENERATE meaning: 1. to become worse: 2. having low moral principles. Learn more.

10. www.ldoceonline.com › dictionary › degeneratedegenerate | meaning of degenerate in Longman Dictionary of ...

    www.ldoceonline.com › dictionary › degenerate

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    degenerate meaning, definition, what is degenerate: to become worse: Learn more.

11. www.britannica.com › dictionary › degenerateDegenerate Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary

    www.britannica.com › dictionary › degenerate

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    Britannica Dictionary definition of DEGENERATE. [count] disapproving. : a person whose behavior is not morally right or socially acceptable. a couple of degenerates on a crime spree. DEGENERATE meaning: to change to a worse state or condition to become worse, weaker, less useful, etc. often + into.