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Synonyms

degeneracy

American  
[dih-jen-er-uh-see] / dɪˈdʒɛn ər ə si /

noun

  1. degenerate state or character.

  2. the process of degenerating; decline.

  3. degenerate behavior, especially behavior considered sexually deviant.

  4. Physics. the number of distinct quantum states of a system that have a given energy.

degeneracy British  
/ dɪˈdʒɛnərəsɪ /

noun

  1. the act or state of being degenerate

  2. the process of becoming degenerate

  3. physics the number of degenerate quantum states of a particular orbital, degree of freedom, energy level, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nondegeneracy noun
  • predegeneracy noun
  • undegeneracy noun

Etymology

Origin of degeneracy

First recorded in 1655–65; degener(ate) + -acy

Vocabulary lists containing degeneracy

E.L. Doctorow (1931-2015) Tribute List

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But the spirit of degeneracy had firmly gripped me.

From Slate • Nov. 18, 2025

Mr. Whigham is in his actorly wheelhouse, moral degeneracy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

It would be unfair to place the sole blame for the degeneracy of civil norms on one segment of the public.

From Salon • Oct. 4, 2024

However, antiferromagnets should not exhibit lifted Kramers spin degeneracy by the magnetic order, whereas ferromagnets or altermagnets should.

From Science Daily • Feb. 14, 2024

Poetry was a symptom of weakness, of degeneracy and decay.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.