ATROPHY Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

atrophy 1 of 2

verb

Definition of atrophy

as in to deteriorate

to become worse or of less value in the years following the closing of the last textile mill, the town atrophied

Synonyms & Similar Words

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atrophy

2 of 2

noun

as in degeneration

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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 atrophy

Verb

Spending more than six months in space comes with other potential health risks, including the weakening and loss of bone and atrophying muscles. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 26 May 2026 Building that processing infrastructure at commercial scale in the US involves not only capital expenditure but also workforce development in a sector where domestic technical expertise has atrophied. — Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 25 May 2026

Noun

Bengals may be affected by heart disease, progressive retinal atrophy and pyruvate kinase deficiency. — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026 Her son Jesse’s newborn screening had come back positive for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder that causes certain muscles to become weak and atrophy. — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 2 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for atrophy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrophy

Verb

But the journey can turn rough when wind and sea conditions deteriorate, Agnos said, particularly around the Cyclades, where seasonal Meltemi winds can churn up the Aegean.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026
After approximately three weeks in the field, a supervisor allegedly sent her home after observing that her physical condition was deteriorating.

— Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of deteriorate

Verb

Watts declined Rolling Stone’s multiple requests for an interview and did not specifically address a majority of questions posed to him in a detailed request for comment.

— Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
When first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury in May, Devers declined to learn the position despite Boston’s dearth of options.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of decline

Noun

Hillsborough had come to embody all that was wrong with Sheffield Wednesday in recent times, a symbol of underinvestment and deterioration.

— Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Initially, Cao assumed that the deterioration of particular proteins and protein networks was responsible for aging, in line with the prevailing model.

— Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of deterioration

Noun

By tracking these positrons, researchers could determine their vertical decay angles and search for the tiny signal expected from an EDM.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
Many lines of research align with the theory that aging is a direct result of decay — the inevitable degradation of molecules (including proteins or DNA), organelles, cells, or whole organs — from external assault or inexorable breakdown.

— Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of decay

Verb

Africa's most populous country will hold the election against a backdrop of worsening economic and security crises that have caused anger among voters against Tinubu's government.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
His relatives called Montes a troubled man whose struggles have worsened since the recent death of his grandmother, who raised him.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of worsen

Noun

That helped investors see the sell-off in AI infrastructure stocks that began in roughly late June and continued into July in a new light — specifically, the idea that the steep declines had reflected weakening fundamentals quickly evaporated.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026
In 2024, the Fed acted decisively to get ahead of a weakening in the labor market, delivering a bold, half-point rate cut.

— Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of weakening

Browse Nearby Words

atrophies

atrophy

atrophying

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“Atrophy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrophy. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of atrophy

verb

noun

Example Sentences

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