as in to poison
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
such shameless ambulance chasing cankers the legal profession
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rot
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of canker
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
18 Dec. 2025
Fungal disease, butternut canker, wiped out about 90% of the state's butternut trees.
—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Camellia dieback and canker disease is characterized by sudden wilting and yellowing of the foliage and die-back of branch tips.
—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
The plane trees that line the historic canal, once captured in the glow of childhood and sunlight, are now dying—devastated by an invasive fungal disease known as canker stain.
—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for canker
Noun
Even the most superb body begins to diminish in a person’s early 30s, thanks to the onset of sarcopenia, which sounds like a canker but means the incremental decline of muscle mass.
—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
18 Dec. 2025
Fungal disease, butternut canker, wiped out about 90% of the state's butternut trees.
—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Camellia dieback and canker disease is characterized by sudden wilting and yellowing of the foliage and die-back of branch tips.
—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
The plane trees that line the historic canal, once captured in the glow of childhood and sunlight, are now dying—devastated by an invasive fungal disease known as canker stain.
—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for canker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canker
Verb
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The special bond between Supergirl and her scruffy animal sidekick becomes a key plot point in Kara’s new solo movie, where Krypto is poisoned by space outlaw Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
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Kara Zor-El (Alcock) goes on a planet-hopping mission to save her beloved Krypto – with young and vengeful girl Ruthye (Eve Ridley) in tow – after he’s poisoned by the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
Noun
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Soaking cherry seeds helps remove the pulp, preventing rot that can hinder germination.
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The rot began long before the 2016 vote to leave the European Union.
Verb
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Forgetting his bond with the land, Mariano awakens the Ch’iqmi, a dark force that corrupts his people.
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Lander has argued Goldman, the multimillionaire heir to the Levi jeans fortune, embodies establishment, corporate interests that corrupt the Democratic Party.
Noun
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The aisles were so choked that blooms and branches brushed against us, the air heady with the scent of lilies, roses, eucalyptus, and sweet decay.
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The physical properties of TRISO fuel and gas cooling allow the core to dissipate residual decay heat naturally.
Verb
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When temperatures rise, heat can quietly degrade pantry staples, making refrigeration essential to preserve quality and flavor.
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If leaders are not present and actively developing people, the system degrades—quietly at first, then all at once.
Noun
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Various types of cancer, in which malignant tumors invade surrounding tissues, contributed to between 13,000 and 20,000 deaths annually in this time frame.
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After-School All- Stars in New York, MSK Kids, the pediatric cancer program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Children & Teen and Adolescents & Young Adult (AYA) Programs, and Hassenfeld Children’s Hosipal at NYU Langone.
Verb
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England reached stumps on 103-4 after 15 overs, still needing 270 runs in its seemingly forlorn chase of 373 to win on a deteriorating pitch and heading for a first defeat in a home series of three or more tests since 2012.
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Intensifying wildfires across eastern Utah and western Colorado are sending thick smoke into portions of the state, creating hazy skies and deteriorating air quality for many mountain and western Colorado communities.
Noun
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The children reportedly lived in squalor and weren’t enrolled in school.
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Reform and Restore are no doubt relying on support from pockets of deprivation, squalor and neglect in Makerfield.
Cite this Entry
“Canker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canker. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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