disimprovev.
a. transitive. To do the reverse of improving; to render worse in quality.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > worse > [verb (transitive)] > in quality or character
defade1423
debase1569
deteriorate1572
welk1579
bastardize1587
invile1599
winter1622
disimprove1642
degenerate1645
deterior1646
imbastardize1649
degrade1652
honeycomb1821
travesty1825
1642 Bp. J. Taylor Of Sacred Order Episcopacy Ep. Ded. No need to disimprove the Royal Banks to pay thanks to Bishops.
1651 Bp. J. Taylor XXVIII Serm. iv. 49 Those unprofitable and hurtful branches which..disimprove the fruit.
a1717 T. Parnell Deborah (Seager) Thus direful was deform'd the country round; Unpeopled towns, and disimprov'd the ground.
1827 Lady Morgan O'Briens & O'Flahertys IV. 352 Something changed, but not disimproved.
1890 Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 161 Though he raised the tone of the essay, he disimproved its form, as the masterly hand of Addison left it.
b. intransitive. To grow worse, deteriorate.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > worse > [verb (intransitive)]
worseeOE
aswindc885
worsena1250
appair1340
impair1340
fainta1375
pairc1390
vade1471
decay1511
decline1530
degenerate1545
lapse1641
addle1654
sunset1656
deteriorate1758
worst1781
descend1829
disimprove1846
slush1882
devolute1893
worser1894
1846 in J. E. Worcester Universal Dict. Eng. Lang. , whence in later Dicts.
1904 J. Joyce Let. 28 Dec. (1966) II. 75 My voice has disimproved greatly for want of practice and from too much smoking.
Derivatives
disimˈproving adj.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > worse > [adjective] > that causes deterioration
withering1579
aggravative1648
aggravable1664
disimproving1813
1813 S. T. Coleridge Remorse Epil., in Morning Chron. 28 Jan. 3/3 Dire disimproving disadvantages.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online June 2019).
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