inverse of improvement?

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is there a noun like improvement that means the opposite? I can't think of one. I want one that has the meaning of "the features removed or made worse."

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If you were a women, you'd knew that:

The opposite of improvement is deterioration.

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well, deterioration implies a natural aging process...whereas improvements implies changes consciously made to change something for the better. another near miss is depreciation, but once again, it doesn't fit...

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oh yeah, and fyi, i am a woman.

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decline

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stuh505 wrote:

well, deterioration implies a natural aging process...whereas improvements implies changes consciously made to change something for the better. another near miss is depreciation, but once again, it doesn't fit...

Sorry, I always thought your name sounded so masculine. Embarrassed

Hm, I don't think that deterioration is only suggestive to the natural
aging process.

According to:
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn deterioration is
- a symptom of reduced quality or strength
- process of changing to an inferior state

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De-accession? (ugh). Divestment....

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Aha! I have the answer: disimprovement.

Osso, the dictionary says "selling paintings from a museum"? Is that what you meant?

CalamityJane wrote:

Sorry, I always thought your name sounded so masculine.

Masculine, eh? Keep talkin' baby...

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deterioration

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That's what I said, Steve.

Well yeah, Stuh.... Smile

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Well, the whole concept of adding and subtracting improvements and having words for those practices... sounds a little odd to me. I've never heard of disimprovement. It sounds almost as awkward as de-accession. Yes, de-accession would be to get rid of some component; in the case of museums, some art piece.

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CalamityJane wrote:

That's what I said, Steve.

Well yeah, Stuh....

you are right cj

well done

extremely depressed right now....cricket...

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Oy Steve, drink a good Californian redwine and things will look better.

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ossobuco wrote:

Well, the whole concept of adding and subtracting improvements and having words for those practices... sounds a little odd to me.

Eh? Does it not sound perfectly natural in this context:

"I read over your paper. I made a few improvements" ?

"There have been a lot of changes. Unfortunately, there were more <<blank>> than improvements."

This (above) is originally the context that made me start wondering what the right word would be.

I want to say "deprovements" but I'm not sure if "de" is a valid prefix for generic modifications...

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In the context, the word might be something more like worsenings.

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"I read over your paper. I made a few improvements" ?

"There have been a lot of changes. Unfortunately, there were more <<blank>> than improvements."

Well, what do you mean? You left some items uncorrected? You messed up and worsened what the author wrote? You removed whole sentences?

Unclear!! Siren!!! Unclear!!

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I agree with Jespah! In that context the better word would be "worse".

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Unfortunately, there were more detractions than improvements."

Detract : To reduce the value, importance, or quality of something.

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It's a little functionally weird in construct, I think. In one case you are substituting better words or phrases? And in another, I assume, simply editing out or writing critical comments.

I suspect you are looking at a paper and finding things that have improved since you last read it, and phrasing or content that have worsened?

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I get what 2packy is saying.

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inverse of improvement?

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