degenerate

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++de·gen·e·rate1 /dɪˈdʒenəreɪt/ verb [intransitive]  WORSEto become worse 恶化，堕落，退化degenerate into The conference degenerated into a complete fiasco. 这次大会开得一塌糊涂。 —degeneration /dɪˌdʒenəˈreɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

degenerate• To leave a habitat to degenerate and perhaps be destroyed is to injure all its animals, including of course the species concerned.• Don't allow your comments to degenerate into a personal attack on the employee.• It degenerated into a three-sided football match, with blue, yellow and red-lit supporters all but waving rattles in support of their teams.• The regional question has degenerated into adhoc regional study - on-going analysis of the demand-supply equation for land release.• What should have been a civilised debate degenerated into an unseemly row between the two sides.• Attempts by the UK government to prop up the pound on the exchange markets degenerated into chaos.• This soon degenerated into disorder for which there was no remedy.• Unfortunately, when Graham left office Governor Martinez ignored the system, and it quickly degenerated into make-work.• Nevertheless, a foot sweep does require a lot of power to prevent it from degenerating into no more than a shin attack.• Some concert promoters have refused to book rap acts after some rap concerts degenerated into violence.• There's no denying that our relationship has degenerated over the years.• Paralyzed muscles lost tone and became flaccid; with severe damage they further degenerated through shrinkage and atrophy.degenerate into• These historic buildings have been allowed to degenerate into slums.de·gen·e·rate2 /dɪˈdʒenərət/ adjective  formalBAD BEHAVIOUR OR ACTIONS morally unacceptable 堕落的，腐化的 The painting was condemned as ‘degenerate’. 这幅画被谴责为 “有伤风化” 。

Examples from the Corpus

degenerate• The ravaging giant of Eirena's territory finds counterparts in other figures depicted as monstrous, cruel, degenerate, and corrupt.• The distant fading signals a run-down age of degenerate belief.• These particular degenerate cases will be analysed in more detail in the next section.• A degenerate culture of the gun is seen to embrace all the lost young men in the bush, whatever their allegiances.• Expressionism was at one time considered a degenerate form of art.• Flames belch from the wreckage, degenerate human beings scrabble for survival, the screen is dark and the aspect brooding.• Neurones in the myenteric plexus were not identified in the colon and were sparse and appeared degenerate in the appendix and ileum.• a morally degenerate society• Both sets of inquiries pointed to the existence of a degenerate underclass of the population which formed a residual pool of infection.• He was labelled a degenerate youth by his teachers, and left the town before he was 16.degenerate3 noun [countable]  BAD PERSONsomeone whose behaviour is considered to be morally unacceptable 堕落的人，败类

Examples from the Corpus

degenerate• She is not an incompetent but a degenerate.• Why are we idiots and moral degenerates, while they are in vogue?• He regarded gay men as perverted degenerates who were no use to society and should be put to death.• Or they might shelter piratical degenerates who had become creatures of Chaos.Origin degenerate2 (1400-1500) Latin degeneratus, from genus “type, kind, race”

de·gen·e·rate1 verbde·gen·e·rate2 adjectivedegenerate3 nounChineseSyllable  

become to worse Corpus

degenerate

I

de‧gen‧e‧rate¹ /dɪˈdʒenəreɪt/ verb [intransitive]
to become worse
    degenerate into
    The conference degenerated into a complete fiasco.
—degeneration /dɪˌdʒenəˈreɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ deteriorate to become worse: Air quality is rapidly deteriorating in our cities. | Living conditions here have deteriorated in the past few years.
   ▪ get worse to become worse. Get worse is less formal and more common than deteriorate in everyday English: My eyesight seems to be getting worse. | He’s never been well-behaved, but he’s getting even worse.
   ▪ go down to become gradually worse – used especially about the standard of something: The hotel’s gone down since its management changed. | Nick’s teachers say that his work has gone down recently.
   ▪ go downhill to become much worse and be in a very bad condition, especially after a particular time or event: During the recession the business began to go downhill. | Her health went downhill rapidly after Christmas.
   ▪ decline especially written to become gradually worse – used especially about standards of living, education, health etc: After the war, the standard of living declined. | Over the years, the standard of public transport has declined.
   ▪ degenerate formal to become worse, or to become something bad instead of something good: Relations between the two countries have degenerated. | The debate degenerated into an argument between the two sides.
   ▪ escalate to become much worse very quickly – used especially about fighting, violence, or a bad situation: Further violence could escalate into a full-scale armed conflict. | The political crisis escalated.
   ▪ spiral out of control to become worse in a way that cannot be controlled and is extremely serious and worrying: Police say that the violence has spiralled out of control. | Scientists are worried that global warming could soon spiral out of control. | Costs have been spiralling out of control.

II

de‧gen‧e‧rate² /dɪˈdʒenərət, dɪˈdʒenərɪt/ adjectiveformal morally unacceptable:
    The painting was condemned as ‘degenerate’.

III

degenerate³ noun [countable]
someone whose behaviour is considered to be morally unacceptable