Weakness and Deterioration: English Vocabulary List

to gradually weaken or worsen in condition or performance

"The economy will decline."

"Experts predict that the housing market may experience a gradual decline in prices due to rising interest rates."

to decrease in degree, size, etc.

"The noise slowly diminished over time."

"The sound of the train gradually diminished as it traveled further away from the station until it could no longer be heard."

to decline in intensity or strength

"The flood waters began to subside."

"After the initial storm passed, the wind began to subside, allowing the waves on the lake to become much calmer."

to diminish in intensity, visibility, or prominence

"The flood waters finally receded."

"The floodwaters finally began to recede after three days of heavy rain stopped and the sun came out again."

to decline, weaken, or deteriorate, often in terms of strength, vitality, or overall condition

"The flowers withered without water."

"The beautiful flowers began to wither in the intense summer heat because no one remembered to water them for days."

to make something unable to work properly

"The injury incapacitated him for months."

"The powerful blow to his head was enough to incapacitate the boxer and he could not get up to continue the fight."

to become weak or begin to fail

"His resolve began to crumble."

"The old sandstone building began to crumble after years of neglect and exposure to harsh weather conditions."

to reduce the quality or effectiveness of something

"The signal will degrade."

"The video quality will degrade if you compress the file too much."

to make something less forceful, potent, or intense by adding additional elements or substances

"Dilute the juice with water."

"You should dilute the concentrated cleaning solution with water before using it on your floors."

to gradually decrease in intensity, strength, importance, size, influence, etc.

"The moon's light began to wane."

"The moon began to wane after reaching its full brightness and gradually became smaller and smaller each night."

to suppress, restrain, or hinder the growth, development, or intensity of something

"Don't stifle creativity."

"The oppressive regime attempted to stifle any dissent by controlling all forms of media and public expression."

easily harmed or destroyed

"The flower is delicate."

"The delicate flower petals fell off the stem when she touched them because they were so fragile and easily damaged by human hands."

easily broken, cracked, or shattered due to the lack of flexibility and resilience

"The glass is brittle."

"The brittle glass shattered into a thousand pieces when it hit the hard tile floor in the kitchen."

very delicate or thin

"The connection is tenuous."

"The scientist carefully examined the tenuous strands of DNA under the microscope."

a flaw, weakness, or shortcoming that reduces the effectiveness, quality, or completeness of something

"Vitamin deficiency causes problem."

"A vitamin D deficiency can cause weak bones and increase the risk of fractures."