as in to poison
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
such shameless ambulance chasing cankers the legal profession
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rot
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of canker
Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024
Most of the mature chestnut trees had vanished — the victim of canker fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024
Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 1 Aug. 2019
See All Example Sentences for canker
Verb
The canker fungus lives on in the inner bark of fledgling trees and encircles the stem.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024
Most of the mature chestnut trees had vanished — the victim of canker fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024
Noun
Start by removing all blighted twigs and cankered branches 6 to 10 inches below the edge of visible infection.
—Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 1 Aug. 2019
See All Example Sentences for canker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canker
Verb
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The health secretary said vegetable oils, like canola and soybean, are poisoning Americans and driving the obesity epidemic.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
8 July 2025
-
After a week of deliberation, the jury found Erin Patterson lured her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, to lunch at her home and poisoned them with individual servings of Beef Wellington that contained death cap mushrooms.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
7 July 2025
Noun
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Gi-hun’s Christ-like sacrifice can only do so much—the rot is worldwide.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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For me, no scent will ever capture the promise of freedom and transgression and youthful reinvention quite like the sweet rot of New York City garbage on a summer night in, say, the East Village.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Some have been corrupted by money and power, betraying each other as readily as the criminals do.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
Parliament has been corrupted by agents of a genocidal foreign power.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
7 July 2025
Noun
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It was originally added to water systems to combat tooth decay but more recently has been scrutinized by critics citing studies that elevated exposure could reduce IQ levels in children.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
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In a world where sugar consumption continues to rise, dentists are struggling to keep up with demand; by some estimates, nearly 3.5 billion people worldwide are now struggling with oral diseases and tooth decay.—
David Prosser,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Verb
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Customer service was once rated among the highest in the American Customer Satisfaction Index – until relentless budget cuts started to degrade it.—
Teresa Ghilarducci,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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But, unlike metal drill bits, which generally last for years, these enabling molecules are designed to degrade very quickly, falling apart within a few days at most.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 July 2025
Noun
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The decision ended one threat to the no-cost preventive services — from cancer and diabetes screenings to statin drugs and vaccines — used by more than 150 million Americans who have health insurance.—
David G. Savage
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
11 July 2025
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Some people with cancer receive hundreds of thousands of dollars of chemotherapy per year, as do some children with rare genetic disorders.—
Peter Ubel,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Verb
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The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood emergency for Ruidoso on Tuesday, warning of rapidly deteriorating conditions and rising river levels that threatened homes and businesses.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
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The latest example of trouble resulting from this definitional confusion comes from the deteriorating relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 July 2025
Noun
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His novels explore the moral squalor of all wars, justified or not.—
Rav Grewal-Kök
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
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The film’s sheer, unrelenting squalor can wear you down, too.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Canker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canker. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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