to decay
37
4.4
- verb
- /dɪˈkeɪ/
:
deteriorarse
- Over time, the old wooden bridge began to decay and was no longer safe to cross.
- a decaying building
- a decaying city
- left to decay
And they're just decaying in the most horrific way.
- And they're just decaying in the most horrific way.
- And some things decay in a fraction of a second.
- So they're gonna just decay and it's all good.
Examples
-
Throughout the West, libraries are decaying under the forces of natural and man-made pressures.
Academic text (1990) -
These poor toys have suffered enough being left to rust and decay in alleys and vacant lots of the world.
-
It's the very potential to decay that makes them beautiful.
-
Hundreds of years for Rome to decay and fall apart.
-
And some things decay in a fraction of a second.
-
And we know a lot about how they decay, how they preserve.
-
This is almost the background, and you can see these things decaying further.
-
The leaves decay here.
-
City Hall is the decaying symbol of mismanagement and corruption.
-
The whole world appeared to be softly decaying, worthy of sympathy and repair.
Fiction book (1995)
Synonyms
531
1.2
To slowly become less visible, bright, or loud
177
3.4
To break into small pieces or become weaker and collapse
146
5.9
To get worse in quality, condition, or value
83
4.2
Gradually make someone's trust, belief, or support weaker over time
55
3.5
Fall into decay and stop being useful
35
5.1
To wear away soil and rock by wind or water
16
4.2
To slowly become weaker or fall apart because it is not cared for
7
5.5
To become weak and thin because of sickness or not eating enough
1
8.4
To fall into ruin or cause something to fall into ruin because it is not cared for
To make wood or other plant material decay because of a fungus that grows in dry wood
To become worse slowly in a calm, controlled way without sudden failure
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
5
2.2
Damage to a tooth's hard surface caused by bacteria that often makes a hole
- Specialized
1
6.8
A decrease where an amount falls by the same part over equal times, becoming much smaller over time
- Specialized
A radioactive process where a large atom sends out an alpha particle and becomes another element
How Decayed
Surface Forms
Etymology
Decay comes from Latin parts de- 'down' and cadere 'to fall'. So to decay in the sense of getting worse is to slowly 'fall' into ruin or break down from age or neglect.