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Another word for decay

a-z
Verb

  1. To become or cause to become rotten or unsound

    Idioms:
    See also:

    better

    thrive

Noun

  1. The condition of being decayed

    See also:

    better

    thrive

© Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Another word for decay

Noun

  1. A progressive worsening

    See also:

    sense

    Antonyms:

  2. Decomposition

      1. The act or process of disintegrating.
      2. The natural or induced transformation of an atomic nucleus from a more massive to a less massive configuration by the emission of particles or radiation.
      3. (Geology) A wearing away or falling to pieces of rocks or strata, produced by atmospheric action, frost, ice, etc.
      1. An amount of putrefied matter or an odor produced by such matter.
      2. The decomposition of organic matter by bacteria, fungi, and oxidation, resulting in the formation of foul-smelling products; a rotting
      1. The act or process of corrupting.
      2. Decay; rot.
      3. The act or fact of making, becoming, or being corrupt
      1. An adulterating or being adulterated
      2. The action of adulterating, being mixed with extraneous material, illicit substitution of one substance for another.
      3. An adulterated substance, commodity, etc.
      1. The process of rotting or the condition of being rotten:
      2. Any of various diseases; esp., a necrotic inflammatory disease of specific organs or tissues of domestic animals, as foot rot
      3. A rotting or being rotten; decay, decomposition, or putrefaction
      1. The cracking and shifting of ice in rivers or harbors during the spring.
      2. The discontinuance of a relationship, as a marriage or a friendship.
      3. A disintegration or decay
      1. The process of spoiling.
      2. The condition of being spoiled.
      3. The process of becoming spoiled.
      1. Anything very disgusting or repulsive
      2. Dead and decaying flesh.
      3. The decaying flesh of a dead body, esp. when regarded as food for scavenging animals
      1. Putrid matter.
      2. The condition of being putrid; decay
      3. A putrescent character or condition.
      1. The condition of being decrepit; feebleness or infirmity
      2. The quality or condition of being weakened, worn out, impaired, or broken down by old age, illness, or hard use.
      1. Distinctive character or type:
      2. The form or shape given by a mold
      3. A downy or furry growth on the surface of organic matter, caused by fungi, esp. in the presence of dampness or decay
      1. A plant disease caused by a rust fungus, characterized by reddish or brownish spots on leaves, stems, and other parts.
      2. Any of various powdery or scaly reddish-brown or reddish-yellow hydrated ferric oxides and hydroxides formed on iron and iron-containing materials by low-temperature oxidation in the presence of water.
      3. (Botany) Rust fungus.
      1. The act or process of corroding.
      2. A substance, such as rust, formed by corroding.
      3. The condition produced by corroding.
      1. The process by which electrons are removed from atoms or ions
      2. The combination of a substance with oxygen.
      3. Any process in which oxygen combines with an element or substance, either slowly, as in the rusting of iron, or rapidly, as in the burning of wood
      1. A similar fungous disease of plants, fruits, and vegetables
      2. A fungal disease that causes timber to become brittle and crumble into powder.
      3. A plant disease in which the plant tissue remains relatively dry while fungi invade and ultimately decay bulbs, fruits, or woody tissues.
      1. Any of various bacterial or fungous diseases of plants producing discoloration and decay
      2. Any of several fungal or bacterial plant diseases resulting in dark brown to black discoloration and decay of affected plant parts.
      1. Decay of bones or, esp., of teeth
      2. Instances of such decay, especially dental cavities:
      3. Decay of a bone or tooth, especially dental caries.
      1. A sharp metal device attached as a weapon to the leg of a gamecock in a cockfight
      2. A spinelike process, as on the wings or legs of certain birds
      3. Any of various pointed devices worn on the heel by the rider of a horse and used to urge the horse forward
      1. A wasting away, deterioration, or diminution:
      2. A wasting or decrease in size of a body organ, tissue, or part owing to disease, injury, or lack of use:
      1. The act of making very lean.
      2. The state of being emaciated or reduced to excessive leanness; an excessively lean condition.
      1. Any of numerous plant diseases resulting in sudden conspicuous wilting and dying of affected parts, especially young, growing tissues.
      2. The condition or causative agent, such as a bacterium, fungus, or virus, that results in blight.
      3. Any atmospheric or soil condition, parasite, or insect that kills, withers, or checks the growth of plants
      1. A condition of progressive emaciation, esp. in infants, as from malnutrition or an inability to assimilate food
      2. A progressive wasting of the body, occurring chiefly in young children and associated with insufficient intake or malabsorption of food.
      1. Decay of tissue in a part of the body when the blood supply is obstructed by injury, disease, etc.
      2. Death and decay of body tissue, often in a limb or digit, caused by insufficient blood supply to the affected area as a result of injury, infection, or disease, and commonly classified as wet (when bacterial infection is involved) or dry (when infection is not a significant factor).
      1. Any fungus that attacks various plants or that produces such a coating or discoloration
      2. Any plant disease, as powdery mildew, caused by such fungus
      3. A thin, furry, usually whitish coating or discoloration, caused by a fungus, that forms on the surface of various plants, on organic matter, or on damp paper, cloth, bathroom tiles, etc.
    See also:

    sense

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Verb