DECOMPOSING Synonyms: 107 Similar and Opposite Words

decomposing 1 of 2

adjective

as in decomposed

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decomposing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of decompose

as in rotting

to go through decomposition detectives needed to know how long it would take a corpse to decompose to that advanced state

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of decomposing

Verb

Even poor Maggie the cat — the only living animal in Digger’s house and possibly one of the last living animals in the world — is decomposing in his arms, his sister (Sandra Hüller) says with a shudder. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 Her decomposing body was found in a plastic bin more than a year after death. — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026 This kind of mold benefits plants by decomposing organic matter. — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 26 Sep. 2026 Maintain The Lawn Lovebugs lay their eggs in moist, decomposing materials. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2026 Fifteen months later, 56 decomposing bodies were found at their South Chicago Chapel. — Susana Mendoza, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026 As excavations for the foundation got underway, bones and decomposing bodies were found, releasing a horrid odor and spreading yellow fever across the island. — Victoria Davies, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026 Thapa said many of the bodies had remained submerged in floodwaters for about four days and were already decomposing by the time they were recovered. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 Van der Heijden’s team reported that the fastest decomposing underwear was buried in residential gardens. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for decomposing

Adjective

Two decomposed bodies have been found within five days at a park in western North Carolina, and both cases are classified as murders, according to investigators.

— Mark Price July 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 July 2026
At a time when the Earth was bare, when there were no vertebrates, no trees, no leaves, no flowering plants, and no plants with seeds, millipedes were feeding on decaying mosses, decomposed slime, and primordial gunk.

— Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026

Definition of decomposed

Verb

In the weeks after, more than 85 million pounds of rotting food being kept at the cold storage facility began to rot, leaving a putrid stench lingering over the area that led to infestations of rats, flies and other rodents.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
The fire’s aftermath was just as bad, with cleanup crews having to contend with removing 89 million pounds of thawing, rotting meat, debris and other material.

— Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of rotting

Adjective

Liberal critics, however, argued—also rightly—that the Soviet Union was a decaying, economically crippled giant by the time Reagan was inaugurated.

— Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
The district also could be in for other major changes in the coming years, including the opening of a few new schools to replace multiple decaying, underenrolled schools.

— Scott Travis, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026

Definition of decaying

Verb

Scott’s face, in this shot, is a whole novel, disintegrating into tears before being shored up again, eventually rearranged into something resembling a welcoming smile that teeters on the edge of collapse.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
The 110-floor south tower, struck shortly after the north tower by another plane, was disintegrating.

— Diane Herbst, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of disintegrating

Adjective

Towards the end of the episode, Abby (Hall) and Andrew Borden (Hunnam) get very sick after eating spoiled oysters — projectile vomiting and soiling their undergarments in the dining room.

— Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2026
Unfortunately, food that causes food poisoning doesn’t always smell bad or look spoiled.

— Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of spoiled

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“Decomposing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decomposing. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of decomposing

adjective

verb

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