adjective

degenerative

degenerative

He suffers from a degenerative disease.

He suffers from a degenerative disease.

The artist's later work showed a degenerative trend.

The artist's later work showed a degenerative trend.

degenerative + [noun] causing a part of the body to become weaker He suffers from a degenerative disease.

Synonyms: deteriorating, declining; Antonyms: regenerative, improving

From Latin 'degenerare' (to decline from its kind). 'de-' (away from) + 'genus' (kind). Meaning 'declining from its kind'.

Think of 'de-' as 'down' and 'generate' as 'create'. So, it describes something breaking down or getting worse.

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