as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
the once-lovely neighborhood has devolved into a squalid slum
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Recent Examples of devolved
An equally contentious matter, the renewal of surveillance powers for federal spy agencies, also devolved into an after-hours affair.
—
ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Swalwell’s campaign rapidly devolved over the weekend as allegations surfaced, prompting prominent lawmakers and organizations to rescind their endorsements and staffers to exit his campaign and office.
—Julia Mueller, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2026
What followed was a wide-eyed stare into the wrong camera that, once the crew found the right angle, devolved into an unsettling mog.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 12 Apr. 2026
By the movie’s end, the charming love story has devolved into a disorienting series of mind games.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2026
The exchange devolved into a shouting match that had to be broken up by assistant coaches and the officials, and Auriemma exited the court without going through the postgame handshake line.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 7 Apr. 2026
After that provocative setup, Dream Scenario unfortunately devolved into a feeble, simplistic cancel-culture satire.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
After he was joined on the bases by walk machine Masataka Yoshida, the inning devolved into chaos.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
The once highly regarded and pricey hub for tech dreamers and fledgling startups has devolved from a breeding ground for ingenuity and innovation — a place of hope — to something closer to an American nightmare.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Swalwell’s campaign rapidly devolved over the weekend as allegations surfaced, prompting prominent lawmakers and organizations to rescind their endorsements and staffers to exit his campaign and office.
—Julia Mueller, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2026
What followed was a wide-eyed stare into the wrong camera that, once the crew found the right angle, devolved into an unsettling mog.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 12 Apr. 2026
By the movie’s end, the charming love story has devolved into a disorienting series of mind games.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2026
The exchange devolved into a shouting match that had to be broken up by assistant coaches and the officials, and Auriemma exited the court without going through the postgame handshake line.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 7 Apr. 2026
After that provocative setup, Dream Scenario unfortunately devolved into a feeble, simplistic cancel-culture satire.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
After he was joined on the bases by walk machine Masataka Yoshida, the inning devolved into chaos.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
The once highly regarded and pricey hub for tech dreamers and fledgling startups has devolved from a breeding ground for ingenuity and innovation — a place of hope — to something closer to an American nightmare.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolved
Verb
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His mental health has severely deteriorated, his financial situation is terrible, and his drug dependency is at its worst.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
-
An old male Japanese macaque maintained alpha status as his ability to walk deteriorated, but only through an alliance with the alpha female.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Higher debt and interest rates have worsened the country’s budget outlook.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Westerheide declined to answer follow-up questions about the Patton autopsy.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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That tax collector, Cheryl Blogoslawski, was suspended from her job in January, not long after a new mayor, Democrat Bobby Sanchez, took office after Stewart declined to seek a seventh two-year term.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Last fall, a Krousty Sabaïdi giveaway promoted by popular French influencer Fares Salvatore, who has more than 868,000 followers on TikTok, degenerated into mayhem when the call-out attracted 3,000 teenagers.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
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Murderous encounters dating to the Risdon Cove settlement eventually degenerated into the Black War (1804–30), a period of great physical conflict between the Aboriginal population and European settlers.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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However, Apple hasn’t followed its megacap peers in sinking tens of billions of dollars into building out AI infrastructure, which has diminished the stock’s correlation to the rest of the tech industry.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Still, the music flourished on terrestrial radio and music-video television, two venues for mass musical experiences whose power has diminished drastically in the streaming era.—
Jack Hamilton,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devolved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolved. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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