Degenerative

adj

adj ·5 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Characterized by or causing degeneration.
Adjective
  1. 1
    (of illness) marked by gradual deterioration of organs and cells along with loss of function wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
chronicdecadent

Example

More examples

"For a while now, researchers have boasted the health benefits of red wine, including a lower risk of heart disease and degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. In which case, drinking a glass of wine a day seems harmless, even beneficial. But a team of researchers from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston have busted our wine-infused bubble, finding that just that one glass can increase the risk of breast cancer."

Etymology

From degenerate + -ive.

Related phrases

degenerative disc diseasedegenerative feedbackdegenerative joint disease

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