as in decay
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances
the unmistakable smell of decomposition led us to some fruit that had fallen behind the refrigerator
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decomposition
Noun
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That’s because warming increases the rate of decay of falling organic debris, so that less of it reaches the twilight zone.—
Tim Vernimmen,
JSTOR Daily,
19 June 2025 -
Certainly not for novelty’s sake; we are hardly starved for dramas of mental decay, or for the stupendous feats of acting that are often achieved in their service.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
19 June 2025
Noun
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Originally from Denver, Colorado, Lauren has served with AmeriCorps, started Mississippi's first fermentation company, and helmed the Eudora Welty House & Garden.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 June 2025
-
To sterilize your fermentation jars and lids, simply place them upside-down on a baking sheet in the oven at 250°F for 20 minutes.—
OLIA HERCULES,
Saveur,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Fifty-three industrial plants are invited to squat there, in the center of the city, and the smell of decomposition and putrefaction and acidification, a stew of sulfur, chlorine, lye, and ammonia, suffuses the air.—
Caroline Fraser
June 10,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2025
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When the surgeons finally opened her with a piece of broken glass, the putrefaction was as warm as life.—
Nell Zink,
Harper's Magazine,
28 Feb. 2025
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“Decomposition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decomposition. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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