Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, causing, or characterized by degeneration.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Tending to degenerate; of the nature of degeneration.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Undergoing or producing degeneration; tending to degenerate.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Characterized by or causing degeneration.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective (of illness) marked by gradual deterioration of organs and cells along with loss of function

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

degenerate +‎ -ive

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Examples

  • - A rise in degenerative spinal conditions, which could be a result of demanding physical labor

    A Historic Shift 2008

  • Diet For The Chronically Ill. The chronically ill person has a long-term degenerative condition that is not immediately life threatening.

    How and When to Be Your Own Doctor Isabel Moser

  • The most common arthritis affecting hips and knees, the two joints we will focus on here, is known as degenerative arthritis or osteoarthritis OA.

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Deepak Chopra 2012

  • The most common arthritis affecting hips and knees, the two joints we will focus on here, is known as degenerative arthritis or osteoarthritis OA.

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Deepak Chopra 2012

  • Some dementia diseases are reversible, but most of the time, it refers to degenerative or progressive dementia that can be caused by several different diseases.

    NPR Topics: News 2011

  • The most common arthritis affecting hips and knees, the two joints we will focus on here, is known as degenerative arthritis or osteoarthritis OA.

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Deepak Chopra 2012

  • The most hotly debated use of spinal fusion surgery centers on patients who merely suffer from aging disks, a condition known as degenerative disk disease.

    Top Spine Surgeons Reap Royalties, Medicare Bounty John Carreyrou 2010

  • Last month, Bob and I had our Canaan dogs tested for a landmark study to determine how widespread a genetic disorder called degenerative myelopathy is in this otherwise genetically-clean breed.

    Shem’s little necessary operation « The Life and Times of Organic Mama 2008

  • Last month, Bob and I had our Canaan dogs tested for a landmark study to determine how widespread a genetic disorder called degenerative myelopathy is in this otherwise genetically-clean breed.

    18 « December « 2008 « The Life and Times of Organic Mama 2008

  • Last month, Bob and I had our Canaan dogs tested for a landmark study to determine how widespread a genetic disorder called degenerative myelopathy is in this otherwise genetically-clean breed.

    December « 2008 « The Life and Times of Organic Mama 2008

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