as in rot
a pervasive moral or social decay
a society beset by moral gangrene
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Recent Examples of gangrene
As her career later stalled, Bleeth’s personal life was spinning out due to cocaine abuse that resulted in gangrene in her nose.
—
Kathleen Perricone,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
Bacterial meningitis can progress quickly, causing the brain to swell and limbs to develop gangrene and sepsis, and can kill within 24 hours.
—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
11 Jan. 2026
The researchers made their conclusion after discovering fungal material rather than the bacterial agents in gangrene in a piece of Louis XIV's heart, which is stored in the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris.
—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
9 Dec. 2025
In a case from just last year, a lawsuit alleges the then-resident suffered from deterioration of wounds and gangrene.
—
Kevin G. Hall,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangrene
Kathleen Perricone,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
Bacterial meningitis can progress quickly, causing the brain to swell and limbs to develop gangrene and sepsis, and can kill within 24 hours.
—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
11 Jan. 2026
The researchers made their conclusion after discovering fungal material rather than the bacterial agents in gangrene in a piece of Louis XIV's heart, which is stored in the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris.
—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
9 Dec. 2025
In a case from just last year, a lawsuit alleges the then-resident suffered from deterioration of wounds and gangrene.
—
Kevin G. Hall,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangrene
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangrene
Noun
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Soaking cherry seeds helps remove the pulp, preventing rot that can hinder germination.
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The rot began long before the 2016 vote to leave the European Union.
Noun
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The council made similar appointments when Patrick Cannon stepped down in 2014 after he was indicted on public corruption charges and in 2013 when Anthony Foxx left the city to become the federal secretary of transportation.
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When self-interest matures into corruption, the machine begins to strain.
Noun
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Peter Gosselin Washington Moyn’s article and the accompanying cover photograph—showing old people as malevolent and evil—were not up to the usual standards of Harper’s Magazine.
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Using everything she’s learned from Jack Reacher and her time as a member of the 110 Special Investigators, Neagley puts herself on a dangerous path to uncover a menacing evil.
Noun
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What bothers me is the foot-dragging, the spinning in circles, the slow degradation of these characters into annoying stereotypes.
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Over time, this can increase electrical resistance, generate excess heat, and accelerate battery degradation.
Noun
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Denver author Josiah Hesse was raised by Evangelical parents in churches that believe in the torments of hell, that their poverty is due to their sinfulness and lack of faith.
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This lawless crew shares dramaturgical DNA with the vice figures from medieval morality plays, personifications of sinfulness who would confide their schemes to the audience and make theatergoers their co-conspirators in a riveting game that obviously left its mark on a young Shakespeare.
Noun
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The children reportedly lived in squalor and weren’t enrolled in school.
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Reform and Restore are no doubt relying on support from pockets of deprivation, squalor and neglect in Makerfield.
Noun
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Independents said the worst thing about Republicans was their loyalty to Trump (10%), perceptions of corruption and self-enrichment (8%), dishonesty, hypocrisy or immorality (7%), a lack of concern for ordinary people or cruelty (6%), and ineffective and weak or unqualified leadership (5%).
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Following this tendency might finally cure us not only of indigestion but also the ancient immorality of eating other organisms.
Noun
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The young boy was bedridden, unable to speak and living in filth, according to the report.
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Little filth flies such as drain flies breed in sludge and decaying matter that can build up in drain pipes, says Oi.
Cite this Entry
“Gangrene.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangrene. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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