1
as in degenerate
having lost forcefulness, courage, or spirit
a candidate who vehemently rejects the idea that liberalism is a decayed political philosophy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown
we routinely throw all decayed or unwanted organic matter into our compost heap
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in decomposed
to go through decomposition
the logs decayed on the rain forest floor the atom of plutonium decayed in the test chamber
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
the restaurant's standards for food and service had decayed over the years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in faded
to lose bodily strength or vigor
having reached her 80s, the woman could sense that her body was decaying
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decayed
Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Aug. 2025
The breakthrough came when researchers focused on coelomic fluid, the internal liquid surrounding the sea stars’ organs, rather than tissue from decayed specimens.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2025
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Within the next 18 days, the new short July 25 90/115 strangle would be worth only 46 cents, also having decayed by more than 80% of the value when the trade was initiated, at which point a trader could have rolled the short strangle yet again.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Of the 20 dead cats, eight were too decayed for a necropsy exam, which determines the cause of death of a dead animal and any associated diseases or injuries.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Aug. 2025
The breakthrough came when researchers focused on coelomic fluid, the internal liquid surrounding the sea stars’ organs, rather than tissue from decayed specimens.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
But Iran’s model decayed even in places where Israel and the United States had not attacked for some time.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Within the next 18 days, the new short July 25 90/115 strangle would be worth only 46 cents, also having decayed by more than 80% of the value when the trade was initiated, at which point a trader could have rolled the short strangle yet again.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decayed
Adjective
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In his native Germany, he was reviled by the Nazis as a degenerate artist.—
Celia Bell
July 22,
Literary Hub,
22 July 2025
-
In a guest role that’s been extremely well hidden in the months leading up to the premiere, Bradley Cooper turns heel as Elijah Gemstone, a degenerate con man who sees right through Abel Grieves’s lucrative scam before plugging him in the forehead.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Horrible Bosses When three friends — played by Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis — regroup after a terrible day at their respective jobs, the fed-up employees drunkenly conspire to murder their seriously rotten employers and attempt to follow through.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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He was once asked to accept a dead whale; another time, an entire shipping container of rotten garlic.—
Kyra Morris,
The Atlantic,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Woolf's remains were found unclothed and partially decomposed near the San Joaquin trailhead in Tucson in December 2024.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
26 Aug. 2025
-
The body had decomposed, but the uniform the person was wearing and other equipment was well-preserved, L’Adige reported.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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By the early 1960s, reforms in Angola had begun to stall as budgets were cut and conditions deteriorated, the museum website says.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
-
But when the levees failed, thousands of people were trapped inside as supplies dwindled and conditions deteriorated quickly.—
Sarah Alegre,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When the screams faded away, Monica Santana and Maria Lema, who had driven down from Waukegan to scream, peeled off.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The legal sands shifted in the weeks and months after they were formally charged and days of demonstrations protesting his death faded out.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But options for changing that are weak.—
Alan J. Borsuk,
jsonline.com,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Instead, molecules simply bounce around and lose energy, resulting in relatively weak conduction.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Here’s how to get money for spoiled groceries when the food in your refrigerator is compromised during a power outage.—
Kristine Gill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Sep. 2025
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The President is a child who doesn't like his ego to be hurt, a spoiled child.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The wooden floor has rotted through, and only a few flimsy stairs remain attached to telephone poles, which once propped up the tower.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Our brains are irrevocably rotted.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decayed. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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