SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
atrophy
verb / noun
To waste away or become weaker through lack of use.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Weaken through disuse
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topDeteriorate is broader; atrophy especially suggests wasting or loss through disuse.
Wasting or decline through disuse
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topAtrophy can describe physical wasting or figurative loss of ability. Deterioration and decline do not specify disuse as a cause.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See atrophy in use
A skill may atrophy when it is never practiced.
Returning to a fictional language club, Omar worried that his conversation skills would atrophy if he continued avoiding opportunities to use them.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license