as in decomposition
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances
the ghastly festering of the corpses abandoned on the battlefield
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bleeding
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Dissimilar Words
as in rotting
to go through decomposition
a week after the battle the corpses of the fallen were still festering in the fields
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of festering
Walden Green, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
There’s always been a festering envy for many years.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 30 Oct. 2025
Either there will be sunlight or a scandal that keeps festering.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Instead, what has become a festering problem for the Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder came up yet again.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Is corruption festering in the apparently homogeneous suburb?
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2025
Adding to the festering sense of uncertainty about the enterprise is the principal characters’ embrace of the supernatural.
—Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2023
For the moment at least, embassies remain open in both capitals despite a festering but unrelated diplomatic spat that has seen the two sides expel dozens of diplomats since 2017.
—chicagotribune.com, 3 Mar. 2022
John Otis, NPR, 8 Jan. 2026
By contrast, Eugenia condemns herself to a future of festering tension and fury.
—Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
Whatever, exactly, is festering between Cannon, her mom, and Gung Gung goes largely unsaid.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
But this implosion has been festering for some time.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025
The Broncos have a real, festering issue that threatens to jeopardize a special season.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 5 Nov. 2025
Pluribus is as dry, ironic, brutal, and alert to the horrors festering in no small number of human souls as anything he’s made.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
In fact, that problem is festering.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025
Without nerve sensation, the patients weren’t aware of festering ulcers and infections, which therefore went untreated until amputation was the only option.
—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
And nearly omnipresent throughout is the soundtrack by Daniel Blumberg, who brought the rhythms of industrialization and its festering underbelly to 2024’s The Brutalist and won an Oscar for it.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
There’s always been a festering envy for many years.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 30 Oct. 2025
Either there will be sunlight or a scandal that keeps festering.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Instead, what has become a festering problem for the Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder came up yet again.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Is corruption festering in the apparently homogeneous suburb?
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
In the Flesh, Sherman rips off the straitjacket after four seasons (and counting) on Saturday Night Live, unleashing a festering and hilarious hour of bodily fluids, open-wound confessionals, and jokes that will leave scars on your soul.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2025
Adding to the festering sense of uncertainty about the enterprise is the principal characters’ embrace of the supernatural.
—Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2023
For the moment at least, embassies remain open in both capitals despite a festering but unrelated diplomatic spat that has seen the two sides expel dozens of diplomats since 2017.
—chicagotribune.com, 3 Mar. 2022
Verb
Not helping matters are festering rivalries within the opposition.
—John Otis, NPR, 8 Jan. 2026
By contrast, Eugenia condemns herself to a future of festering tension and fury.
—Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
Whatever, exactly, is festering between Cannon, her mom, and Gung Gung goes largely unsaid.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
But this implosion has been festering for some time.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025
The Broncos have a real, festering issue that threatens to jeopardize a special season.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 5 Nov. 2025
Pluribus is as dry, ironic, brutal, and alert to the horrors festering in no small number of human souls as anything he’s made.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
In fact, that problem is festering.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025
Without nerve sensation, the patients weren’t aware of festering ulcers and infections, which therefore went untreated until amputation was the only option.
—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festering
Noun
-
The house smelled of urine, feces and decomposition.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
21 Jan. 2026
-
If the stump is in a low-traffic area and won't interfere with lawn mowing, the easiest removal method is natural decomposition.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
These injuries resulted in 684 days lost per 1,000 training hours during menstruation, compared to 206 days lost during non-bleeding days.—
Ciara Lucas,
SELF,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Hasbro adopted a plastic spud after new government regulations prevented certain toys from having pointed sharp edges, as well as complaints about children playing with rotting vegetables.—
Kimberlee Kruesi,
Fortune,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Listeria monocytogenes, more commonly known as listeria, is a disease-causing bacteria that can be found in soil, water, sewage, rotting vegetation and animals, according to the USDA.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In the steppe everything crumbles and decays.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
-
However, a crack can expose a tree to fungal infection or decay, which could lead to the tree dying.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Please tell me the sequel could answer the most burning question of the ’00s: How could Austin not recognize Sam in that mask?—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Cooper, 30, asked Hargitay one more burning question about the actors' on-screen alter egos: will Olivia and Elliot ever end up together?—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
In desert regions, natural mummification is common due to the dry conditions where fungi and bacteria can’t thrive on a decomposing corpse.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
15 Jan. 2026
-
In town, the painter also notes the reek of decomposing bodies, of garbage, of blood streaming out of the butcher shop.—
Amir Ahmadi Arian,
The Dial,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Stan has plenty of comic-book bona fides thanks to his Avengers tenure, but the Batverse is also a realm of intense prosthetics, over-the-top voices, and enough moral rot to mutate almost any familiar face.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The boost of calcium helps to prevent blossom-end rot, a perennial problem in tomato gardens.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Wharton dealt with a nagging hamstring injury, which limited him to nine appearances in the regular season.—
Mike Kaye
Updated January 26,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Jan. 2026
-
But that’s if the 35-year-old Semien (who missed the last six weeks of last season with a fractured foot) and especially Robert, who has a history of nagging injuries and only once played more than 110 games in six years with the White Sox, stay healthy.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Festering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festering. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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