🇬🇧🇪🇸 deterioration - deterioro : English Lesson

Meaning of "deterioration" ("deterioro"), detailed definition, and a short video lesson below.

Deterioration is when something slowly changes from good to bad. It can happen to objects, like when a shiny bike gets rusty and squeaky, or to places, like when a nice playground breaks and gets dirty. It can even describe skills or behavior, like when someone forgets to practice piano and their playing gets worse. Deterioration is not sudden; it’s what we call the gradual process of something becoming weaker, messier, or less good over time.

Watch and listen to this English flashcard to understand the word in more detail, with an easy example sentence.

The deterioration of the plant was obvious when it went from green, to yellow, to “I give up” brown in three days.

There was a serious deterioration in my handwriting after I discovered I could just scribble and call it “modern art.”

The deterioration of my secret candy stash became apparent when I discovered everyone else already knew about it.

Mom blamed the deterioration of her peace and quiet on my new drum set and complete lack of rhythm.

The certain deterioration of old books is called “foxing,” which sounds cute, but actually means they get tiny brown spots like the pages caught freckles.

She watched the wooden swing’s deterioration: paint peeling, rope fraying, seat sagging. Each crack whispered deterioration; the yard’s laughter faded as upkeep slowed, small toys showed quiet deterioration and signs of deterioration. At dusk she carried the swing to the shed, decided to fix it, and felt relief as future laughter beat the slow deterioration.

This word is at the C2 level, which means it represents the highest mastery of English. It’s often used in specialized or highly formal contexts and helps you communicate with precision and subtlety, much like a native speaker.

Expanding your English vocabulary is one of the best ways to improve your pronunciation, spelling, and confidence in English. Watch the video above to memorize the word, understand its meaning, and see example sentences in action. Discover related words to grow your vocabulary naturally. Add words to your playlist for stress-free, effective learning—anytime, anywhere! Watch, learn, repeat.