rotten

play

adjective rot·ten \ˈrä-t^ən\

Definition of rotten

1 : having rotted : putrid
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

rottenness

play \-t^ən-(n)əs\ noun

See rotten defined for English-language learners

See rotten defined for kids

Examples of rotten in a Sentence

They did a rotten job.
What rotten weather we're having.

Recent Examples of rotten from the Web

Now the rotten CEOs are gone, it’s Mirando’s new era, with me, and with new core values: environment and life.

— anna silman, The Cut, "Ivanka Trump Makes the Perfect Movie Villain in Okja", 30 June 2017
Some shelters did not have beds, some didn’t have electricity, and others served rotten food or simply no food at all.

— alice driver, Longreads, "Father of Migrants", 30 June 2017
Hunter-Reay for instance has been on the receiving end of all kinds of rotten luck this year and perhaps was aggravated enough to speak his mind.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Scott Dixon is good -- and other takeaways from Road America", 26 June 2017
Hunter-Reay has been on the receiving end of all kinds of rotten luck this year and perhaps was aggravated enough to speak his mind.

— jim ayello, USA TODAY Sports, "Takeways from IndyCar Kohler Grand Prix at Road America", 26 June 2017
Brazilian officials said then that meat companies paid inspectors to overlook violations and certify tainted or rotten meat or not make inspections at all.

— susan salisbury, ajc, "U.S. suspends Brazilian beef imports over safety concerns", 25 June 2017
Some poor herbivore got stuck in mud, died, and its rotten stink drew scores of Allosaurus here, which became trapped in turn.

— brian switek, Scientific American Blog Network, "The Making of an Allosaurus Graveyard", 21 June 2017
Wheatley had a front-row seat to the problems created by rotten cultures in the financial services industry.

— sam mamudi, Bloomberg.com, "Ex-FCA Chief Wheatley Returns, Still Vies to Reform Bank Culture", 7 June 2017
Remove dead or rotten trees that might blow over in high winds.

— dan gill, NOLA.com, "This week's gardening tips: prepare trees for hurricane season, Orchid show and sale", 3 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rotten'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of rotten

Middle English roten, from Old Norse rotinn; akin to Old English rotian to rot

NEW!

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

rotten

adverb rot·ten

Definition of rotten

: to an extreme degree spoiled rotten

See rotten defined for English-language learners

Examples of rotten in a Sentence

Those kids were spoiled rotten by their mother.

First Known Use of rotten

1880

ROTTEN Defined for English Language Learners

rotten

play

adjective

Definition of rotten for English Language Learners

: having rotted or decayed and no longer able to be used, eaten, etc.
: very bad or unpleasant
: not well or healthy

rotten

adverb

Definition of rotten for English Language Learners

: very badly or poorly
: very much

ROTTEN Defined for Kids

rotten

play

adjective rot·ten \ˈrä-t^ən\

Definition of rotten for Students

1 : having rotted rotten wood
2 : morally bad
3 : of poor quality They did a rotten job.
4 : very unpleasant … being a teenager is pretty rotten—between pimples and worrying about how you smell! — Judy Blume, Are You There God?