Entry Word: rotten

Function: adjective

Meaning: 1 having undergone organic breakdown <rotten, smelly meat that should have been refrigerated>

Synonyms addled, bad, corrupted, decayed, decomposed, putrefied, putrid, spoiled

Related Words curdled, fermented, rancid, sour, soured, turned; contaminated, defiled, fouled, polluted, tainted; corroded, crumbled, degenerated, deteriorated, disintegrated; decaying, decomposing, moldering, moldy, putrefying, rotting

Near Antonyms fresh, good, preserved; pristine, uncontaminated, undefiled, unpolluted, unspoiled, untainted, untouched

2 falling short of a standard <that was a truly rotten attempt; so youʼll have to do it over> — see bad 1
3 not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable <played a rotten trick and then lied about it> — see bad 2
4 not giving pleasure to the mind or senses <had a rotten time while on vacation> — see unpleasant
5 extremely unsatisfactory <rotten housing that no one should be forced to tolerate> — see wretched 1
6 of low quality <I canʼt do anything with these rotten tools> — see cheap 2