as in rots
to go through decomposition
a week after the battle the corpses of the fallen were still festering in the fields
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of festers
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 28 May 2026
Throughout this episode, Austin’s bitterness festers.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
It festers as part of a long, continuous line.
—Theater Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Mar. 2026
When Trimmers fail to recognize this, evil festers.
—David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Steep declines in timber harvests, meant to save Oregon’s last ancient forests, ripped open an urban-rural divide that still festers.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Larger debate over the French retreat and the role of disease still festers, however.
—Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2025
South End residents and retailers said at a City Council hearing last Friday that businesses in Boston are being battered by shoplifting to feed the addiction that festers daily at the Mass and Cass drug market.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
Delay a tough conversation, and resentment festers.
—Jason Richmond, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
What occurs over the course of the weekend is what happens as grief festers into rage.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 28 May 2026
Throughout this episode, Austin’s bitterness festers.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
It festers as part of a long, continuous line.
—Theater Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Mar. 2026
When Trimmers fail to recognize this, evil festers.
—David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Steep declines in timber harvests, meant to save Oregon’s last ancient forests, ripped open an urban-rural divide that still festers.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Larger debate over the French retreat and the role of disease still festers, however.
—Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2025
South End residents and retailers said at a City Council hearing last Friday that businesses in Boston are being battered by shoplifting to feed the addiction that festers daily at the Mass and Cass drug market.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
Delay a tough conversation, and resentment festers.
—Jason Richmond, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festers
Noun
-
Bonds are tested and betrayal boils.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
-
For traditional crawfish boils, deveining is generally skipped.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Training plants to stay off the ground instead of trailing prevents many common fungal diseases, fruit spots, and rots.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
31 May 2026
-
When the seaweed rots, hydrogen sulfide gas is emitted, which smells like rotten eggs.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Organic material trapped in reservoirs accumulates and decomposes over time, releasing methane — a potent greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to global warming, Fernández-Garrido told CNN.—
Radina Gigova,
CNN Money,
27 May 2026
-
Another process, thermogenic hydrogen formation, occurs in deep sedimentary basins when organic material decomposes under high temperatures, roughly 480 to 930 degrees Fahrenheit (250 to 500 degrees Celsius).—
Promise Longe,
The Conversation,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In animals, the bacterium causes pustules and lesions, predominantly in cattle, sheep, and horses.—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
11 May 2026
-
In fact, one of the most common triggers of rosacea, which is characterized by flushing, swelling, spider veins, papules, and pustules, is exposure to sunlight.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
None are quite about the conflicting frames of reference and value that arise when an ancient cultural formation disintegrates and a successor has yet to take its place.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
The skin stretches out and disintegrates, posing a risk of limb amputation.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Well, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, pimples are related to internal imbalances of heat and blood stagnation.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
-
Baker’s Stanford is a strong candidate, and his book follows in the tradition of Michael Lewis’s Wall Street chronicle Liar’s Poker, but with more pimples and less eye contact.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
In theory, beryllium-8 normally decays into two helium-4 nuclei.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
19 Mar. 2026
-
This state then decays through a two-step cascade, releasing two photons in rapid succession.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Vegas had some bumps getting through Utah and Anaheim, then had no trouble with the banged-up and battered Avalanche.—
Stephen Whyno,
Twin Cities,
31 May 2026
-
The Flames endured some early season bumps but put it together at the right time and beat Southern Illinois 7-2 on Sunday in the MVC Tournament final.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Festers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festers. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
