degenerative

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A handful were posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the progressive, degenerative brain disease found in people with a history of repetitive head impacts.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

Petrou was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative disorder that leads to vision loss, at age 18.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

Li, who suffers from a genetic degenerative condition that progressively weakens muscles, relies on a ventilator permanently connected to his windpipe to breathe, but grows celery with the help of his 62-year-old mother.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects about one in five adults in the United States and generates an estimated $65 billion each year in direct health care costs.

From Science Daily • Jan. 20, 2026

The distinguished historian Tony Judt, who died in mid-2010 of motor neuron disease, used it to compose essays after his degenerative disease robbed him of the ability to move.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith