as in rot
a pervasive moral or social decay
a society beset by moral gangrene
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Recent Examples of gangrene
The leg developed gangrene and Bullock died nine days later during an operation to amputate it.
—
Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
They are typically used to treat decompression sickness for scuba divers, carbon monoxide poisoning, gangrene and certain kinds of wounds or injuries that won't heal on their own, according to Johns Hopkins.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 18 Feb. 2025
To stave off gangrene, Batzer had a thumb, several fingers, a foot, and a portion of one leg amputated.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Three weeks later gangrene set in, and Wilson almost died.
—Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 16 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gangrene
Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
They are typically used to treat decompression sickness for scuba divers, carbon monoxide poisoning, gangrene and certain kinds of wounds or injuries that won't heal on their own, according to Johns Hopkins.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 18 Feb. 2025
To stave off gangrene, Batzer had a thumb, several fingers, a foot, and a portion of one leg amputated.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Three weeks later gangrene set in, and Wilson almost died.
—Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 16 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gangrene
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangrene
Noun
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What begins as a search for a killer becomes a fight to uncover the rot beneath the town’s quiet surface.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
6 Oct. 2025
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Gossip fed the frenzy of the Salem Witch Trials and has been the subtext of one too many fables where mischief masks moral rot.—
Oriel FeldmanHall,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Miami’s corruption keeps us from solving our issues.—
Miami Herald Staff,
Miami Herald,
8 Oct. 2025
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The section that investigates public corruption has been gutted, while the bureau's premier public corruption unit has been disbanded.—
Elena Moore,
NPR,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But this is no case study in the evils of devil-worshipping musicians.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
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On this Sunday, a day meant for worship and peace, such violence is a grave evil.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This plug design prevents the palladium from shrinking or clumping at high heat—the degradation that limits conventional films.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
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Though the ancient species once soared over most of the continent, by the mid-20th century, the population of condors had dramatically declined due to habitat degradation, lead poisoning, shooting and the use of DDT pesticide.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But even past that, Tactics is directly about how the rich and powerful view the poor and weak as almost subhuman, practically delighting in the squalor and suffering normal people go through.—
Hayes Madsen,
Rolling Stone,
24 Sep. 2025
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Nearly two weeks after San Jose began dismantling its largest homeless encampment, the city is set to open its first-ever safe sleeping site, which will provide tents for dozens of the approximately 370 residents who have lived in dilapidated RVs and squalor at Columbus Park.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Hank isn’t being accused of mere immorality, after all; he’s being accused of rape, which was also a crime back in Kierkegaard’s days.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
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Beyond the inherent immorality of thoughtlessly torturing and killing birds and wildlife, Death Pipes are an example of the hidden toll that people and their structures are exacting on nature.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Our foul, flatulent father-figure may exaggerate a bit when belittling his enemies (and friends, for that matter), but cloaked under his aura of filth — like an adult Pig-Pen’s toxic dust cloud — rests a core truth.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
24 Sep. 2025
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Exploring high fashion’s relationship with filth, designers under the spotlight include Hussein Chalayan, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Miguel Adrover, Helmut Lang, and Dilara Findikoglu.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gangrene.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangrene. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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