deteriorate
- To become progressively worse in quality, condition, or value.
In a sentence
- Without proper maintenance, the historic building continued to deteriorate until restoration work finally began.
- Relations between the two countries began to deteriorate after the disputed election results were announced.
Usage note. 'Deteriorate' is intransitive (things deteriorate on their own); use 'worsen' or 'degrade' when you need a transitive verb (e.g., 'pollution degrades the environment').
Where it comes from
English deteriorate · entered English mid-17th c.
From Late Latin 'deteriorare' (to make worse), derived from the comparative adjective 'deterior' (worse), which is possibly from 'de' (down, away) combined with a root related to 'de-' or perhaps from an archaic stem meaning 'below.' The word entered English in the 17th century, first appearing in the mid-1600s.