Degeneration Meaning
/dɪˌdʒɛnəˈɹeɪʃən/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe process or state of growing worse, or the state of having become worse.
nounThat condition of a tissue or an organ in which its vitality has become either diminished or perverted; a substitution of a lower for a higher form of structure.
Sentence Examples
Age-related macular degeneration can cause blindness.
Macular degeneration primarily affects Caucasian people, usually those with light colored eyes.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The nerve ____ caused him to lose control of his legs.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Age-related macular ____ can cause blindness.
Word Origin & History
From French dégénération, from Latin dēgenerātiō.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The modern cry of "more liberty and less creed" is a degeneration from a vertebrate to a jellyfish."
— 1913, B. H. Carrol, An Interpretation of the English Bible:
"Hence, regional soil degenerations and podsolization was probably an important factor contributing to the retrogressive change in the forest composition at the end of the mesocratic phase.."
— 1987, Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, Annales Academiae Scientiarum Fennicae, page 10:
"Emmanuel Macron sounded like a man in grief. Not angry, not defiant, just a little triste. Europe, he lamented, was suffering a “degeneration of democracy”."
— 2025 October 12, Simon Tisdall, quoting Emmanuel Macron, “France is not alone in its crisis of political faith – belief in a democratic world is vanishing”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
"cockle, aracus, […] and other degenerations"
— 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The nerve ____ caused him to lose control of his legs.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Age-related macular ____ can cause blindness.