Standard Lemma guide

deterioration

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /dɪˌtɪəɹɪəˈɹeɪʃən/
  • UK, proscribed: /dɪˌtɪəɹɪˈeɪʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /dəˌti.ɹi.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/
  • US, proscribed: /dəˌtiɹiˈeɪʃən/
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 T IH1 R IY0 ER0 EY2 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The process of making or growing worse, or the state of having grown worse.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: aggravation, retrogression, worsening

Antonyms: amelioration

2

noun

Meaning 2

process of changing to an inferior state

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: decline in quality, declension, worsening

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: decline, diminution

Narrower terms: slump, slack, drop-off, falloff, falling off

3

noun

Meaning 3

a symptom of reduced quality or strength

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: impairment

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: decay

Narrower terms: corrosion, devastation, desolation, decrepitude, dilapidation, wear

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French détérioration; morphologically deteriorate + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

52 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: վատացում (vatacʻum) — process of making or growing worse
  • Armenian: վատթարացում (vattʻaracʻum) — process of making or growing worse
  • Armenian: փչացում (pʻčʻacʻum) — process of making or growing worse
  • Belarusian: пагаршэнне (paharšennje) — process of making or growing worse
  • Bulgarian: разваляне (razvaljane) — process of making or growing worse
  • Bulgarian: влошаване (vlošavane) — process of making or growing worse
  • Catalan: deterioració — process of making or growing worse
  • Catalan: deteriorament — process of making or growing worse
  • Chinese Mandarin: 恶化 (èhuà) — process of making or growing worse
  • Czech: zhoršování — process of making or growing worse
  • Dutch: verslechtering — process of making or growing worse
  • Dutch: desintegratie — process of making or growing worse
  • Estonian: mandumine — process of making or growing worse
  • Estonian: halvenemine — process of making or growing worse
  • Estonian: allakäik — process of making or growing worse
  • Finnish: huononeminen — process of making or growing worse
  • Finnish: heikkeneminen — process of making or growing worse
  • French: détérioration — process of making or growing worse
  • Galician: deterioración — process of making or growing worse
  • Georgian: გაუარესება (gauareseba) — process of making or growing worse
  • German: Verschlimmerung — process of making or growing worse
  • German: Verschlechterung — process of making or growing worse
  • German: Verschärfung — process of making or growing worse
  • German: Abgrund — process of making or growing worse
  • Greek: επιδείνωση (epideínosi) — process of making or growing worse
  • Hindi: अपघटन (apaghṭan) — process of making or growing worse
  • Hungarian: lerontás — process of making or growing worse
  • Hungarian: degeneráció — process of making or growing worse
  • Hungarian: leromlás — process of making or growing worse
  • Hungarian: kopás — process of making or growing worse
  • Hungarian: elhasználódás — process of making or growing worse
  • Indonesian: kemunduran — process of making or growing worse
  • Indonesian: kemerosotan — process of making or growing worse
  • Italian: deterioramento — process of making or growing worse
  • Japanese: 改悪 (kaiaku) — process of making or growing worse
  • Latin: deperitiō — process of making or growing worse
  • Latin: deterioratio — process of making or growing worse
  • Malay: kemunduran — process of making or growing worse
  • Malay: kemerosotan — process of making or growing worse
  • Polish: pogorszenie — process of making or growing worse
  • Portuguese: deterioração — process of making or growing worse
  • Portuguese: deterioramento — process of making or growing worse
  • Romanian: deteriorare — process of making or growing worse
  • Russian: ухудше́ние (uxudšénije) — process of making or growing worse
  • Russian: по́рча (pórča) — process of making or growing worse
  • Russian: деграда́ция (degradácija) — process of making or growing worse
  • Spanish: deterioro — process of making or growing worse
  • Spanish: deterioración — process of making or growing worse
  • Swahili: uchakavu — process of making or growing worse
  • Swedish: försämring — process of making or growing worse
  • Tamil: சீரழிவு (cīraḻivu) — process of making or growing worse
  • Ukrainian: погіршення (pohiršennja) — process of making or growing worse
Real reading context

deterioration in complete knowledge articles