as in deteriorates
to become worse or of less value
in the years following the closing of the last textile mill, the town atrophied
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of atrophies
Otherwise the ability to work independently atrophies.
—
Illia Smoliienko, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Marcus Pettersson Pettersson’s form, as is typical for most non-play driving defensive defencemen as the health of a wider two-way environment atrophies, has looked poor for long stretches of this season.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026
But if American political life continues to become coarser and more corrupt, and its hard power is repeatedly misused while its soft power atrophies, keeping those two things separate is going to be a lot more difficult.
—Stephen M. Walt, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2025
The hippocampus is primarily responsible for memory and learning, and commonly shrinks, or atrophies, after a stroke.
—New Atlas, 6 Sep. 2025
Illia Smoliienko, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Marcus Pettersson Pettersson’s form, as is typical for most non-play driving defensive defencemen as the health of a wider two-way environment atrophies, has looked poor for long stretches of this season.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026
But if American political life continues to become coarser and more corrupt, and its hard power is repeatedly misused while its soft power atrophies, keeping those two things separate is going to be a lot more difficult.
—Stephen M. Walt, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2025
The hippocampus is primarily responsible for memory and learning, and commonly shrinks, or atrophies, after a stroke.
—New Atlas, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrophies
Verb
-
That is why a hedge here makes sense while markets sit near highs, VIX remains compressed near the high teens, and investors are still leaning heavily into a handful of leadership names as the macro backdrop deteriorates.—
Tony Zhang,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
-
Hospitals use the same billing codes for the ER visit, whether a patient’s condition deteriorates or not.—
Andrew Jones,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That is the moment that everything crumbles for Rachel.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
-
Loyalty, betrayal, illness and war all bear down on the group as the old order crumbles around them.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But a pandemic-era program is helping to keep it afloat as inflation worsens, while also aiming to create a new generation of seafood lovers.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
23 May 2026
-
The situation only worsens after 9/11, the immediate, unreal impact of which Rivilis sharply captures with a steady pan across a classroom of stunned students, their faces in various states of stricken disbelief, if not simply in their hands.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
The greatest loss, as microdemographics turn away from and against one another and a grim pall descends over public life, might be that of late night as a venue to forget our differences (or at least laugh about them) long enough to have fun together, like a functional society.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
22 May 2026
-
Both houses will transport guests into the Club Juke locale seen in the blockbuster film, and picks up as a vampire trio led by Remmick (Jack O'Connell) descends on attendees.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
Sitting at elevations between 1,250 and 1,750 feet, the vineyards are blessed with strong, hot sunlight during the day and significant nighttime temperature declines.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
24 May 2026
-
More specifically, the authors observed that satisfaction drops most steeply during the first 10 years of a relationship, slightly recovers later, and then declines again over time.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atrophies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrophies. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
