Degeneracy

//dɪˈd͡ʒɛnəɹəsi// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The state of being degenerate (in all senses). countable, uncountable

    "If it be true, that the preſent age is more corrupt, than the preceding, the great multiplication of Novels has probably contributed to its degeneracy."

  2. 2
    moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles wordnet
  3. 3
    The ability of one part of the brain to take over another's function without being overexerted. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    the state of being degenerate in mental or moral qualities wordnet
  5. 5
    A limiting case of a class of objects which appears to be qualitatively different from (and usually simpler than) the rest of the class. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
corruptiondepravationdepravitybarbarianismdeclineabandon

Example

More examples

"Censorship is a sign of degeneracy."

Etymology

From degenerate + -cy.

More for "degeneracy"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.