as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
in the years following the closing of the last textile mill, the town atrophied
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Recent Examples of atrophied
These periods of wealth aligned with higher oil production, which has since atrophied.
—
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
What if the act of getting back onstage becomes proof that the muscle has atrophied or that someone’s sense of humor got stuck a decade ago?
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
The story has gained ascendancy as a vehicle for understanding the world while the ability to interpret narrative has atrophied.
—Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
At birth, Holc weighed 6 pounds, 6 3/4 ounces and suffered from hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a fatal heart defect in which the heart’s left chamber is missing or atrophied.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2025
The 2022 invasion reinvigorated a domestic defense industry that had atrophied beyond recognition since Soviet times.
—Tamar Jacoby, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
That episode drives home how deeply the oversight capacities of the American system have atrophied in its wake.
—Chris Lehmann, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
At the same time, the Nation’s nuclear fuel cycle infrastructure has severely atrophied, leaving the United States heavily dependent on foreign sources of uranium as well as uranium enrichment and conversion services.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
Murena's tablet pushed me to use Google Search—whose ads, AI, and seemingly arbitrary algorithms have atrophied its search experience in recent years—less.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
What if the act of getting back onstage becomes proof that the muscle has atrophied or that someone’s sense of humor got stuck a decade ago?
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
The story has gained ascendancy as a vehicle for understanding the world while the ability to interpret narrative has atrophied.
—Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
At birth, Holc weighed 6 pounds, 6 3/4 ounces and suffered from hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a fatal heart defect in which the heart’s left chamber is missing or atrophied.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2025
The 2022 invasion reinvigorated a domestic defense industry that had atrophied beyond recognition since Soviet times.
—Tamar Jacoby, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
That episode drives home how deeply the oversight capacities of the American system have atrophied in its wake.
—Chris Lehmann, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
At the same time, the Nation’s nuclear fuel cycle infrastructure has severely atrophied, leaving the United States heavily dependent on foreign sources of uranium as well as uranium enrichment and conversion services.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
Murena's tablet pushed me to use Google Search—whose ads, AI, and seemingly arbitrary algorithms have atrophied its search experience in recent years—less.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrophied
Verb
-
This new norm deteriorated in Obama’s second term, when a series of individuals climbed FDR’s low fence, including one who popped through the mansion’s main door in 2014.—
Neil Flanagan,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
-
The mammal’s health deteriorated as it became repeatedly stranded in shallow waters, and unsuccessful efforts to coax it toward deeper seas were live-streamed across the globe.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
The city’s fragile race relations had crumbled with Rodney King, Latasha Harlins and the 1992 riots.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The top of his head drilled Bona’s chest, and the Celtics guard crumbled to the court, holding his neck.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The behavior of a suspect in the murders of two University of South Florida students from Bangladesh worsened over time from marijuana use, family members told deputies after his arrest three years ago for punching his brother in the face and kicking his mother in the back.—
Mike Schneider,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Higher debt and interest rates have worsened the country’s budget outlook.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Following 19 months of surveillance, more than 500 troops, six helicopters, and several planes descended on the facility, which was being protected by a perimeter of roughly 30 pickup trucks and over 60 gunmen.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Earlier this month, as Pippin and Imani descended onto Montrose, Lueck told the Tribune that Pepper and Blaze had been recently spotted at their wintering grounds in Florida and North Carolina, respectively.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After 16 years of one-party rule, the cost of living has been driven out of reach for working families, and quality of life has declined in too many communities.—
Steve Hilton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Seton Hall did more with less under Shaheen Holloway, but didn’t collect enough strong wins outside of the conference to flip onto the right side of the March Madness bubble and declined any other postseason invitations.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atrophied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrophied. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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