1. (v.i.)degenerate to decline in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate.
2. degenerate to diminish in quality; fall from a high or normal standard: The debate degenerated into a brawl.
3. degenerate (of an organ or tissue) to lose structure or function.
4. degenerate (of a species or any of its traits or structures) to lose function or structural organization in the course of evolution, as the vestigial wings of a flightless bird.
5. (adj.)degenerate having declined in physical or moral qualities; deteriorated; degraded.
6. degenerate having lost the qualities proper to the race or kind: a degenerate vine.
7. degenerate characterized by or associated with degeneracy.
Etymology: (1485–95; < L dēgenerātus, ptp. of dēgenerāre to decline from an ancestral standard; see generate)
Definition of 'degenerate'
Princeton's WordNet
1. (adj)pervert, deviant, deviate, degenerate a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior
2. (verb)debauched, degenerate, degraded, dissipated, dissolute, libertine, profligate, riotous, fast unrestrained by convention or morality "Congreve draws a debauched aristocratic society"; "deplorably dissipated and degraded"; "riotous living"; "fast women"
3. (verb)devolve, deteriorate, drop, degenerate grow worse "Her condition deteriorated"; "Conditions in the slums degenerated"; "The discussion devolved into a shouting match"
1. (verb)degenerate to worsen in quality a situation that could degenerate into civil war; the degeneration of his health
Definition of 'degenerate'
Webster Dictionary
1. (adj)degenerate having become worse than one's kind, or one's former state; having declined in worth; having lost in goodness; deteriorated; degraded; unworthy; base; low
2. (verb)degenerate to be or grow worse than one's kind, or than one was originally; hence, to be inferior; to grow poorer, meaner, or more vicious; to decline in good qualities; to deteriorate
Definitions of degenerate 
Afrikaans: ontaard, versleg
Arabic: مُنْحَل، مُنْحَط
Bulgarian: изроден
Brazilian: degenerado
Czech: zkažený, degenerovaný
German: verkommen
Danish: degenereret
Greek: εκφυλισμένος, έκφυλος
Spanish: degenerado
Estonian: allakäinud
Farsi: گمراه؛ ناباب
Finnish: paheellinen
French: dégénéré
Hebrew: לְהִתנָוֵון
Hindi: भ्रष्ट, विकृत, अपभ्रष्ट
Croatian: izopačen, izrođen
Hungarian: degenerált
Indonesian: bejat
Icelandic: úrkynjaður, spilltur
Italian: degenere
Japanese: 堕落した
Korean: 타락하다
Lithuanian: pasileidęs, išsigimęs
Latvian: deģenerējies; izvirtis
Malay: merosot
Dutch: ontaard
Norwegian: degenerert, fallen
Polish: wyrodny
Persian: گمراه؛ ناباب
Pashto: كم اصل، منحط، فاسد
Portuguese: degenerado
Romanian: a degenera
Russian: дегенеративный
Slovak: degenerovaný
Slovenian: izprijen
Serbian: izopačen
Swedish: degenererad, vansläktad
Thai: ที่เสื่อมลง
Turkish: yozlaşmış, dejenere olmuş
Taiwanese: 墮落的，退化的
Ukrainian: такий, що вироджується
Urdu: اخلاقی طور پر زوال پزیر ہ
Vietnamese: thoái hóa
Chinese: 堕落的，腐化的
