decay — OAT · Shobdo

decay

verb

1 the flesh of the corpses had decayed:

decompose, rot, putrefy, go bad, go off, spoil, fester, perish, deteriorate;

degrade, break down, break up, molder, shrivel, shrivel up, wither;

technical mortify, necrotize, sphacelate;

archaic corrupt.

2 the inner cities continue to decay:

deteriorate, degenerate, decline, go downhill, slump, slip, slide, go to rack and ruin, go to seed, run to seed, worsen, crumble, disintegrate, fall to pieces, come apart at the seams, fall into disrepair, become dilapidated;

fail, wane, ebb, dwindle, collapse;

informal go to pot, go to the dogs, hit the skids, go down the tubes, go down the toilet;

Australian, New Zealand, informal go to the pack.

▷antonyms improve.

noun

1 the fish showed no signs of decay:

decomposition, rotting, going bad, putrefaction, putrescence, putridity, festering, spoilage, perishing, withering, shriveling;

rot, mold, mildew, fungus;

archaic corruption.

2 consumption of sugar can lead to tooth decay:

rot, rotting, corrosion, corroding, decomposition;

caries, cavities, holes;

rare cariosity.

3 they blame TV for the decay of American values:

deterioration, degeneration, debasement, degradation, decline, slipping, waning, ebb, shrinking, withering, weakening, atrophy, crumbling, disintegration, collapse, lapse, fall, failure;

formal devolution;

dated decadence.

▷antonyms improvement.

word links	decay
sapro- related prefix, as in saprophagous