degenerative
adjective
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Degenerative diseases—including cancer, glaucoma, Parkinson's, diabetes, arthritis, and leprosy—are usually contrasted with infectious diseases (diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa). However, many infectious diseases (Lyme disease, AIDS, etc.) can cause a body or body part to degenerate, and infective organisms play a part in some degenerative diseases. Some degenerative diseases can be controlled; some can even be cured. But no one has yet discovered a way to reverse such degenerative conditions as multiple sclerosis, emphysema, or Alzheimer's.
Examples of degenerative in a Sentence
Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025
On Thursday, Dane revealed that he’d been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the late New York Yankee who succumbed to the degenerative disease.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2025
Veteran actor Eric Dane shared that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rare degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
Chronic stress can even raise the risk of diabetes, heart disease and memory loss from the shrinkage of the hippocampus--even degenerative brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Degenerative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/degenerative. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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degenerative
adjective
Medical Definition
degenerative
adjective
-ˈjen-(ə-)rət-
Morris Fishbein
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