Definition of festering
1
: contaminated by an infective agent (such as a bacterium) and producing pus
a festering wound But if the patient can manage it, the whirlpool is a dandy way to handle festering bedsores.— Paul G. Donohue
2a
: persisting and growing increasingly bitter over time
festering resentment … comedy that comes from a pit of festering hatred …— Robert Brustein
b
: persistently producing bad or unhealthy effects
Four hundred yards to the west, between the schoolhouse and the mountain, lay a festering center of sin, a bootleg whiskey still operated by the celebrated anti-Prohibition guerilla Sam Reever.— Russell Baker
Test Your Vocabulary
Name That Food
-
- Name these cookies!

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share festering
Time Traveler for festering
The first known use of festering was in 1563
See more words from the same year