DEVOLVE
Dictionary entry overview: What does devolve mean?
• DEVOLVE (verb)
The verb DEVOLVE has 3 senses:
1. pass on or delegate to another
2. be inherited by
3. grow worse
Familiarity information: DEVOLVE used as a verb is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
• DEVOLVE (verb)
Meaning:
Pass on or delegate to another
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
The representative devolved his duties to his aides while he was in the hospital
Hypernyms (to "devolve" is one way to...):
assign; delegate; depute; designate (give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person))
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something to somebody
Meaning:
Be inherited by
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Synonyms:
devolve; return; fall; pass
Context examples:
The estate fell to my sister / The land returned to the family / The estate devolved to an heir that everybody had assumed to be dead
Hypernyms (to "devolve" is one way to...):
change hands; change owners (be transferred to another owner)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "devolve"):
fall; light (fall to somebody by assignment or lot)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s somebody
Meaning:
Grow worse
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Synonyms:
degenerate; deteriorate; devolve; drop
Context examples:
Her condition deteriorated / Conditions in the slums degenerated / The discussion devolved into a shouting match
Hypernyms (to "devolve" is one way to...):
decline; worsen (grow worse)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "devolve"):
fatigue; jade; pall; tire; weary (get tired of something or somebody)
fade; languish (become feeble)
rot; waste (waste away)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
