as in decomposition
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances
clearing the refrigerator of what the previous tenant had left behind was like taking a course in the advanced putrefaction of leftovers
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Recent Examples of putrefaction
Kellogg’s thinking on constipation, that anything less than three bowel movements a day risked dangerous intestinal putrefaction, was shaped by the emerging germ theory of disease and the ascent of bacteriology as a discipline through the closing decades of the 19th century.
—
Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024
Not the smell of putrefaction, though the novel is littered with rotting corpses.
—Nathaniel Rich, The New York Review of Books, 30 Nov. 2023
Gut bacteria, especially a class of microbes called Clostridia, spread through your organs and digest you from the inside out in a process called putrefaction.
—Jennifer Debruyn, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2023
Once the body is out of sight underground, embalmed tissues eventually melt into a toxic putrefaction.
—Joan Meiners, Discover Magazine, 6 Aug. 2020
See All Example Sentences for putrefaction
Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024
Not the smell of putrefaction, though the novel is littered with rotting corpses.
—Nathaniel Rich, The New York Review of Books, 30 Nov. 2023
Gut bacteria, especially a class of microbes called Clostridia, spread through your organs and digest you from the inside out in a process called putrefaction.
—Jennifer Debruyn, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2023
Once the body is out of sight underground, embalmed tissues eventually melt into a toxic putrefaction.
—Joan Meiners, Discover Magazine, 6 Aug. 2020
See All Example Sentences for putrefaction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putrefaction
decay
Noun
-
The decay of marketing effects varies by channel, audience, creative, season and competitive context.—
Cody Greco,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
-
Although abrupt, the decision follows years of concern about the decay of U.S. Antarctic scientific infrastructure, exacerbated by hesitations from both agencies about starting big new projects in the face of ongoing federal budget uncertainty.—
Nadia Drake,
Scientific American,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Putrefaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putrefaction. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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