to devolve
20
7.4
- verb
- /dɪˈvɑlv/
:
degenerar en
- But when we devolve into cynicism, what happens?
And soon as it devolves into disrespect,
- And soon as it devolves into disrespect,
- Could it, you know, devolve into into something worse?
- You become irritable and then you slowly devolve into depression.
- Your Twitter feed while you're crowdfunding can't now devolve into only self promotional tweets.
- I go, is this what I've devolved to?
- And it it, it devolves into acrimony and shouting etcetera.
- So yes, the Russian military has now devolved into blaming their own troops for dying.
- But when this is the problem and this is the response, it's it often devolves into violence, which is what we've seen.
- Again, do we want to subscribe to this cultic religion of anti DEI, which has totally devolved into groupthink?
- And here it goes again, where we devolve into junior high school maturity level humor.
Examples
-
Is it any wonder that human society nearly devolved into total chaos?
Fiction book (1991) -
And I'm hopeful that we will not simply devolve into a trade dispute like this.
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Could it, you know, devolve into into something worse?
-
- Most marriages devolve eventually.
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And here it goes again, where we devolve into junior high school maturity level humor.
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Over time, it has devolved into what looks like a fast food chain.
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Without rules matters devolve into anarchy!
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You become irritable and then you slowly devolve into depression.
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Discussions can be friendly and respectful, or they can devolve into heated arguments, even unreasoning insults.
Blog text (9) -
Without laws and structure, society will devolve into chaos and disorder.
Synonyms
344
3.7
To become less over time, for example in value or health
201
3.7
To become less in size, importance, or value
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
72
5.1
To become smaller or less in number over time
50
4.5
The gradual loss of strength or good condition over time
49
5.1
To make something worse in quality or value
37
3.9
To become worse over time in quality or condition
35
5.8
Fall apart into smaller pieces or stop working together
34
6.3
To become worse and lose order or control
19
4.3
To become less in amount or quality
9
5.6
To slowly become weaker and then stop
4
4.0
Start to break into pieces or stop working well
1
8.4
To fall into ruin or cause something to fall into ruin because it is not cared for
To become worse or return to an earlier state
To become worse slowly in a calm, controlled way without sudden failure
Antonyms
How Bad
Surface Forms
Morphology
devolve = evolve (semi-transparent) = de + volve
The prefix 'de-' suggests a reversal or downward movement, but the specific meaning of deterioration is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Devolve also comes from de- 'down' and volvere 'to roll', and a helpful image is a situation 'rolling down' a hill into something worse. That's why when things devolve they get worse or fall into disorder, like a calm meeting turning into chaos.