decomposition

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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for decomposition
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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 30 Jun. 2025.

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