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
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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
-
From neighborhood po' boy counters to sprawling crawfish boils, some of the city's most memorable meals are messy and meant to be shared.—
Jacqueline Dole,
Travel + Leisure,
3 June 2026
-
Bonds are tested and betrayal boils.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Parents used to tell their children that television rots the brain; now it’s considered a medium for legitimate art.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
-
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
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
-
The research team enabled a room-temperature, four-electron chemical reaction path that forms and decomposes lithium oxide, which expands available energy storage.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 June 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Thabi Hlela of African Alabaster Botanical Skincare uses marula and shea butter in formulations that have cleared pimples and reversed early aging signs in customers who had tried pharmaceutical alternatives.—
Lisa Curtis,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
Well, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, pimples are related to internal imbalances of heat and blood stagnation.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
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
-
It is characterized by high fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and rashes or bumps that appear seven to 14 days after exposure.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
-
The overall agreement will result in small pay bumps for everybody covered by the agreement and annual pay hikes of about 4 % for the duration of the deal.—
Jesse Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 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
Cite this Entry
“Festers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festers. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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