degeneracy

/dɪˈdʒɛnərəsi/
noun
  1. The state or quality of being morally corrupt or having low moral standards.
    • Many people blamed the city's problems on the degeneracy of its leaders.
    • The novel explores the degeneracy of a wealthy family that has lost its values.
    • The historian wrote about the moral degeneracy that led to the empire's collapse.
  2. A decline or deterioration from a previous, better state or condition.
    • The artist saw the degeneracy of the neighborhood as a sign of lost community spirit.
    • The degeneracy of the old building was clear from its broken windows and crumbling walls.
    • Scientists study the degeneracy of certain species when their environment changes.
  3. In physics and mathematics, a situation where two or more different states or quantities have the same value or energy level.
    • Students learned about orbital degeneracy in their chemistry class.
    • In quantum mechanics, energy level degeneracy occurs when multiple states share the same energy.
    • The mathematician explained the degeneracy of the matrix when its determinant is zero.
What does "degeneracy" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean