as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown
the decomposed remains of an old tree trunk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in decayed
to go through decomposition
detectives needed to know how long it would take a corpse to decompose to that advanced state
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decomposed
Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown said Melodee's decomposed body was found in a rural area outside of Cainville in Wayne County, discovered by a man and a woman taking photos.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
Constance catches Trisha on her way out and shows her Willem's decomposed body, which has finally been dug up and delivered home by Garret.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
The decomposed body found in singer D4vd's Tesla at a Los Angeles impound lot was identified as that of a 15-year-old girl.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2025
McCormack’s decomposed body was found in a pink suitcase near Missouri Highway 59 between Lanagan, Missouri, and Noel, Missouri, on July 29, 2019, according to the plea agreement.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2025
Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2026
The child's body was decomposed, per the Sheriff's Office.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
Rigsby’s body had been poorly embalmed and was at least partially decomposed.
—Sofie Buckminster, semafor.com, 16 Nov. 2025
Juan Manuel Villanueva, who owns the Pacific Street property that formerly housed Angel Paws Pet Cremation, said the business was in disarray, with some pets in freezers missing identification tags, while others had decomposed after thawing out and then being refrozen.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2025
The first was that the obstacles were decomposed into cuboids.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2025
Rivas’ cause and manner of death are still being determined by the medical examiner; the exam is taking longer than usual as the remains were severely decomposed.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Two people discovered badly decomposed human remains while doing a walkthrough of a home for sale in Ohio, police told news outlets.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Their remains were either so badly decomposed to be identified, or perhaps their dog tags were missing.
—Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Inside the container were the badly decomposed remains of an infant.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown said Melodee's decomposed body was found in a rural area outside of Cainville in Wayne County, discovered by a man and a woman taking photos.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
Constance catches Trisha on her way out and shows her Willem's decomposed body, which has finally been dug up and delivered home by Garret.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
The decomposed body found in singer D4vd's Tesla at a Los Angeles impound lot was identified as that of a 15-year-old girl.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2025
McCormack’s decomposed body was found in a pink suitcase near Missouri Highway 59 between Lanagan, Missouri, and Noel, Missouri, on July 29, 2019, according to the plea agreement.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2025
Verb
Ackerman’s remains were significantly decomposed and partially mummified, according to the autopsy report.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2026
The child's body was decomposed, per the Sheriff's Office.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
Rigsby’s body had been poorly embalmed and was at least partially decomposed.
—Sofie Buckminster, semafor.com, 16 Nov. 2025
Juan Manuel Villanueva, who owns the Pacific Street property that formerly housed Angel Paws Pet Cremation, said the business was in disarray, with some pets in freezers missing identification tags, while others had decomposed after thawing out and then being refrozen.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2025
The first was that the obstacles were decomposed into cuboids.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2025
Rivas’ cause and manner of death are still being determined by the medical examiner; the exam is taking longer than usual as the remains were severely decomposed.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Two people discovered badly decomposed human remains while doing a walkthrough of a home for sale in Ohio, police told news outlets.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Their remains were either so badly decomposed to be identified, or perhaps their dog tags were missing.
—Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decomposed
Adjective
-
Four long years, during which the relationship between the flashy, flamboyant player and the sometimes-stodgy organization that turned him into a Charlotte legend seemed to spoil, turning almost rotten at times.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Jan. 2026
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Traitors is about the gullible and the skeptical working together to sieve the fraudulent from the truthful, an amalgamated nightmare of village idiots locking themselves in the stocks and pelting each other with rotten fruit.—
Raven Smith,
Vogue,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While many have decayed, some have been lovingly restored, such as Palermo’s Neo-Gothic Palazzo Alliata di Pietratagliata, which has remained in the same family since the 15th century.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
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When excavations first began in the mid-1700s, everything beneath the ash layer was still preserved — but the top floors had decayed and disappeared.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
What to Do With Overripe Pears Not to worry if pears are soft but not spoiled.—
Lynn Andriani,
Martha Stewart,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The United Center cheers were nearly spoiled when Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy challenged the game-winner for an offside penalty.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Eberflus’ best intentions and vision for winning football disintegrated due in part to his team’s lack of discipline and the coaching staff’s inability to steer out of even the smallest skids.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
But relationships at the club have clearly disintegrated to the point where United is now looking for a new permanent manager.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Politically, the regime has rotted from within, discarding, discrediting, or detaining its own kind.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2026
-
That includes money to replace a lot of wood that rotted away due to holes in the roof and walls.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decomposed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decomposed. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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