How to pronounce degenerate
Say it like dih-JEN-uh-rut. Degenerate has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (JEN).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce degenerate. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- dih
- JEN
- uh
- rut
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Degenerate pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- dihKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- JENSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
- uhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- rutKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of degenerate
American and British speakers say degenerate in essentially the same way: /dɪˈdʒɛnərət/ in the US and /dɪˈdʒɛnərət/ in the UK.
British respelling: dih-JEN-uh-rut.
What does degenerate mean?
- One who is degenerate, who has fallen from previous stature; an immoral or corrupt person.“In the cult of degenerates, acts of decency, kindness and modesty could be seen as acts of apostasy.”
- To lose good or desirable qualities.“His condition continued to degenerate even after admission to hospital.”
- To cause to lose good or desirable qualities.
- Having deteriorated, degraded or fallen from normal, coherent, balanced and desirable to undesirable and typically abnormal.
- Having lost good or desirable qualities; hence also having bad character or habits, base, immoral, corrupt.
- Having lost functionality in general.
Where does degenerate come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin dēgenerātus.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Questions about saying degenerate
How do you pronounce degenerate?
Say dih-JEN-uh-rut. The American pronunciation is /dɪˈdʒɛnərət/. In British English it is /dɪˈdʒɛnərət/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in degenerate?
Degenerate has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (JEN). Broken into parts: dih · JEN · uh · rut.
Do Americans and Brits say degenerate the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /dɪˈdʒɛnərət/ and the British form is /dɪˈdʒɛnərət/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.