as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value
in the years following the closing of the last textile mill, the town atrophied
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Recent Examples of atrophying
Language skills at the department are also atrophying.
—
Byron Tau, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Horvath blames educational technology (EdTech) for these atrophying skillsets, arguing that at the turn of the 21th century and through its first decade and a half, tech companies and advocates pushed a false narrative that the education system was broken, but computers could fix it.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Byron Tau, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Horvath blames educational technology (EdTech) for these atrophying skillsets, arguing that at the turn of the 21th century and through its first decade and a half, tech companies and advocates pushed a false narrative that the education system was broken, but computers could fix it.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrophying
Verb
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Her family has said that her health had been deteriorating in prison, in part because she was heavily beaten during her arrest.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
-
Giuliani's doctor, Maria Ryan, told Fox News correspondent Danamarie McNicholl that the former mayor began feeling ill after returning from a trip to Paris, with his breathing deteriorating to the point that he was placed on a ventilator.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
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At the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission headquarters in Virginia, staff knew their crumbling asphalt parking lot was in desperate need of repair.—
Aya Diab,
Fortune,
23 May 2026
-
But many exiles believe the revolution founded by Fidel and Raul Castro is crumbling and additional pressure is all that’s needed to hasten a now inevitable collapse.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Yields had been down Friday morning, offering some relief, before wavering after oil prices erased their losses and the survey on consumer sentiment showed worsening inflation expectations.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
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In the weeks since the meeting, several officials have warned about the worsening inflation outlook as the Strait of Hormuz has remained effectively blocked and bond yields have soared.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Black Bear officials cited the program's declining participation rates and finances as the reason.—
Kenny Jacoby,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
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Sadly, bat populations are declining rapidly in North America.—
The Conversation,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Hundreds of thousands of people will be descending on the Boston area soon.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
23 May 2026
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Its asymmetrical, descending hemline adds a sense of movement and unpredictability that isn’t seen in the average little black dress.—
Tiana Randall,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atrophying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrophying. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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