deteriorates

Deteriorates is the third-person singular present-tense form of the verb deteriorate. It describes the process by which something becomes worse in condition, quality, or value over time. The term is used across many domains to indicate decline rather than improvement.

Etymology: Deteriorate comes from Latin deteriorare, meaning to become worse; the English form developed through French and subsequent English usage. Deteriorates specifically denotes that the subject experiences worsening.

Usage: In medicine, a patient’s condition may deteriorate rapidly, requiring urgent intervention. In materials science and engineering, a structure can deteriorate due to corrosion, fatigue, or environmental exposure. In environmental and social contexts, water quality, ecosystems, or public infrastructure may deteriorate, affecting health, safety, and performance. Deteriorates is often contrasted with improves and with terms such as stabilizes, depending on the trajectory of change being described.

Grammar and terminology: Deteriorates is used with third-person singular subjects (it deteriorates, the system deteriorates). The noun form is deterioration, which refers to the state or process of becoming worse. Deterioration can be gradual or sudden and may result from internal degradation or external factors.

See also: deterioration; deterioration rate; degradation.