2
: morally corrupt
3
: extremely unpleasant or inferior
a rotten day
a rotten job
4
: very uncomfortable
feeling rotten
5
: of very poor quality : lousy, abominable
a rotten show
what rotten luck
rottenly
adverb
: to an extreme degree
spoiled rotten
Examples of rotten in a Sentence
Adjective
They did a rotten job.
What rotten weather we're having.
Adverb
Those kids were spoiled rotten by their mother.
Recent Examples on the Web
Marci Alborghetti, Hartford Courant, 3 July 2025
The odor comes from a toxic gas that’s colorless and smells like rotten eggs.
—Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 July 2025
Chris Bryant | Bloomberg, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2019
See All Example Sentences for rotten
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
But today that moral arc is as twisted as a gnarled, rotten root, and God Bless America has been
replaced by the mournful dirge of Taps.
—Marci Alborghetti, Hartford Courant, 3 July 2025
The odor comes from a toxic gas that’s colorless and smells like rotten eggs.
—Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 July 2025
Adverb
If underlings are afraid to question authority or the board lack independent voices, a corporate culture can soon turn rotten.
—Chris Bryant | Bloomberg, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2019
See All Example Sentences for rotten
Cite this Entry
“Rotten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rotten. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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