degeneration
/dɪˌdʒɛnəˈreɪʃ(ə)n
/noun [mass noun]
1The state or process of being or becoming degenerate; decline or deterioration: overgrazing has caused serious degeneration of grassland...
- How does he propose to fix the problem of moral degeneration and cultural decline?
- Uncontrolled and unplanned tourism has led to natural, cultural and social degeneration inside the so-called host nations.
- We are not dealing with merely a process of intellectual degeneration.
Synonyms
deterioration, decline, decay, debasement, degradation, slide, sinking, descent, drop, regression, retrogression, lapse;
atrophy
rare devolution
1.1 Medicine Deterioration and loss of function in the cells of a tissue or organ: degeneration of the muscle fibres...
- It damages the nerve cells in the brain and causes degeneration, deterioration and gradual loss of function of areas of the brain.
- Histopathology shows degeneration of the smooth muscle with fibrosis.
- Radiation therapy for exudative macular degeneration has also been attempted.