as in rotted
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
Then the bad luck and the bad blood festered.
—
Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
Left unresolved, the conflict has festered and now metastasized into one of the largest, longest-running, and most complex armed conflicts in the world.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
Unlike the first company, which thrived on directness and discipline, this organization operated in a space of cordial hypocrisy, where conflict was avoided at all costs and resentment festered.
—Margaret Graziano, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Given our generally non-interventionist views on foreign policy and concerns about public spending, this editorial board does not mind rethinking the United States’ role in the Ukraine war, which has festered for three years.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 5 Mar. 2025
These are problems that have festered for decades, and no one expects a quick turnaround, but after all of the promises and all the money invested, people are tired of waiting for clear signs of progress.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2024
The issue has long festered and has the potential to collapse the government.
—Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2024
Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
Left unresolved, the conflict has festered and now metastasized into one of the largest, longest-running, and most complex armed conflicts in the world.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
Unlike the first company, which thrived on directness and discipline, this organization operated in a space of cordial hypocrisy, where conflict was avoided at all costs and resentment festered.
—Margaret Graziano, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Given our generally non-interventionist views on foreign policy and concerns about public spending, this editorial board does not mind rethinking the United States’ role in the Ukraine war, which has festered for three years.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 5 Mar. 2025
These are problems that have festered for decades, and no one expects a quick turnaround, but after all of the promises and all the money invested, people are tired of waiting for clear signs of progress.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2024
The issue has long festered and has the potential to collapse the government.
—Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festered
Verb
-
The wooden floor has rotted through, and only a few flimsy stairs remain attached to telephone poles, which once propped up the tower.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Our brains are irrevocably rotted.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Woolf's remains were found unclothed and partially decomposed near the San Joaquin trailhead in Tucson in December 2024.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
26 Aug. 2025
-
The body had decomposed, but the uniform the person was wearing and other equipment was well-preserved, L’Adige reported.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
These plans disintegrated in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in the taking of 251 hostages.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Before flight 10, Starship's most recent demonstration came on May 27, when the spacecraft spun out of control roughly halfway through its flight and disintegrated in a fireball.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But Iran’s model decayed even in places where Israel and the United States had not attacked for some time.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Within the next 18 days, the new short July 25 90/115 strangle would be worth only 46 cents, also having decayed by more than 80% of the value when the trade was initiated, at which point a trader could have rolled the short strangle yet again.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Festered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festered. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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