Synonyms and Antonyms of decay
1
to go through decomposition
- the logs decayed on the rain forest floor
- the atom of plutonium decayed in the test chamber
break down, corrupt, decompose, disintegrate, fester, foul, mold, molder, perish [chiefly British], putrefy, rot, spoil
sour, turn, turn off [British]
contaminate, defile, pollute, taint
addle, curdle, ferment
mortify
rust
crumble, decline, degenerate, descend, deteriorate, dilapidate, sink, wither
age, develop, grow, mature, ripen
refresh, renew, restore
cleanse, purify
assemble, compose, integrate
ameliorate, better, improve, meliorate
2
to become worse or of less value
- the restaurant's standards for food and service had decayed over the years
atrophy, crumble, decline, degenerate, descend, deteriorate, devolve, ebb, regress, retrograde, rot, sink, worsen
abate, de-escalate, diminish, downsize, dwindle, recede, wane
break down, corrupt, decompose, degrade, dilapidate, disintegrate, molder, putrefy
sour, spoil
lessen, lower, reduce
debilitate, undermine
droop, fail, fall, flag, lag, languish, run down, sag, slip, waste (away), weaken, wilt
better, upgrade
enhance, enrich, fortify, heighten, intensify, strengthen
advance, develop, march, proceed, progress
3
to lose bodily strength or vigor
- having reached her 80s, the woman could sense that her body was decaying
droop, emaciate, fade, fail, flag, go, lag, languish, sag, sink, waste (away), weaken, wilt, wither
