decay vs breakdown

breakdown vs decay

decay and breakdown both are nouns.

decay is a verb but breakdown is not a verb.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
decay	Yes	No	Yes	No
breakdown	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, breakdown is a hyponym of decay; that is, breakdown is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than decay:

decay: the process of gradually becoming inferior
breakdown: (biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action

Other hyponyms of decay include caries, cavity, dental caries, tooth decay, corruption, decomposition, putrefaction, rot, rotting, dilapidation, ruin, spoilage, spoiling.

decay (noun)	breakdown (noun)
the organic phenomenon of rotting	the act of disrupting an established order so it fails to continue
a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current	an analysis into mutually exclusive categories
the process of gradually becoming inferior	a cessation of normal operation
the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation	(biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action
an inferior state resulting from the process of decaying	(chemistry) separation of a substance into two or more substances that may differ from each other and from the original substance
	a mental or physical breakdown

decay (verb)	breakdown (verb)
fall into decay or ruin
lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current
undergo decay or decomposition

Difference between decay and breakdown

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