as in decomposed
to go through decomposition
a week after the battle the corpses of the fallen were still festering in the fields
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Recent Examples of festered
And, yet, concerns festered all the same.
—
Noah Furtado, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Feb. 2026
The bad blood festered for months.
—Chris McKenna, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Internal tension about direction and leadership succession festered within the firm.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
There was the diabetic afraid to pick up insulin, the patient with a treatable wound that festered and required a trip to the intensive care unit, and the hospital staffers — from Latin America, Somalia, Myanmar and elsewhere — too scared to come to work.
—Tim Sullivan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
There was the diabetic afraid to pick up insulin, the patient with a treatable wound that festered and required a trip to the intensive care unit, and the hospital staffers — from Latin America, Somalia, Myanmar and elsewhere — too scared to come to work.
—Tim Sullivan, Twin Cities, 20 Jan. 2026
Complaints about the shelter showed that problems have festered for years, reaching a breaking point after a rise in animal deaths led the agency to lose its no-kill status and city officials to call for an audit.
—Devan Patel, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
Frustration over Iran’s struggling economy has festered.
—Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
This arrangement would prove short-lived as well, as tensions festered between Burhan and Dagalo, who accused the military chief of consolidating undue power and promoting allied factions, including Islamist forces.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Noah Furtado, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Feb. 2026
The bad blood festered for months.
—Chris McKenna, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Internal tension about direction and leadership succession festered within the firm.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
There was the diabetic afraid to pick up insulin, the patient with a treatable wound that festered and required a trip to the intensive care unit, and the hospital staffers — from Latin America, Somalia, Myanmar and elsewhere — too scared to come to work.
—Tim Sullivan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
There was the diabetic afraid to pick up insulin, the patient with a treatable wound that festered and required a trip to the intensive care unit, and the hospital staffers — from Latin America, Somalia, Myanmar and elsewhere — too scared to come to work.
—Tim Sullivan, Twin Cities, 20 Jan. 2026
Complaints about the shelter showed that problems have festered for years, reaching a breaking point after a rise in animal deaths led the agency to lose its no-kill status and city officials to call for an audit.
—Devan Patel, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
Frustration over Iran’s struggling economy has festered.
—Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
This arrangement would prove short-lived as well, as tensions festered between Burhan and Dagalo, who accused the military chief of consolidating undue power and promoting allied factions, including Islamist forces.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festered
Verb
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The detail was that Rivas’ body was not only badly decomposed when it was found – it had been dismembered and separated into two bags before being placed in the trunk of the Tesla.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
-
In both cases, the remains were decomposed, and appeared that they may have been moved around multiple locations before being discovered, authorities said.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
There was more funding for higher education, less restrictive laws, lower voting ages, better reproductive rights for women and easier divorces, while icons of popular culture gained far greater prominence and influence as stuffy hierarchies disintegrated.—
Jason Burke,
Time,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Trump is now the symbol, but the movement started in 1992, the year the Soviet Union disintegrated, Gone was the communist menace.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The root system is completely rotted out of it, so winds, rain and anything can push that right over.—
Joe Holden,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
How to Plant Bare Root Roses Carefully inspect the roots and cut off any that are broken, cracked, rotted, or show signs of insect damage.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If these materials are already partly decayed, they’re called compost.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
-
In 2024, Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources, reported that Clearlake and Boehly each explored buying the other one out as the relationship between them decayed.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Festered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festered. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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