putrefied 1 of 2

adjective

as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown we had to throw out the putrefied tomatoes that had been sitting on the counter all week

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putrefied

2 of 2

verb

past tense of putrefy
as in decomposed
to go through decomposition we traced the bad smell to a dead skunk putrefying under the house

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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 putrefied
Adjective
Since some Indigenous tribes from the Arctic and subarctic are known to eat maggots from putrefied meat, the researchers considered maggots a potential factor driving those isotope spikes. — Jay Kakade december 31, New Atlas, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putrefied
  1. rotten
  2. decomposed
  3. decayed
  4. rotted
  5. spoiled
  6. disintegrated
Adjective
  • The rotten culture that is seeping ever deeper into football was exemplified by the announcement that one of the game’s most successful referees had retired.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 23 July 2026
  • Eventually, the plant can’t absorb enough water through its rotten roots to survive.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 July 2026
Definition of rotten
Verb
  • The body had decomposed and had already undergone one autopsy, which meant that the organs including the lungs and the neck structures were already removed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
  • Riverside County sheriff's investigators recovered the remains the following day near Highway 74, but the body had decomposed so extensively that authorities were unable to determine who the victim was despite extensive investigative efforts.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 16 July 2026
Definition of decomposed
Adjective
  • Discard any that look dead or decayed.
    — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The farm buildings on the property—long verandas, shearing sheds, and concrete kennels—are old and decayed, remnants from long before the group showed up.
    — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of decayed
Verb
  • The missing 14-year-old’s body rotted for weeks until it was found in the trunk of a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard last September, severed at the limbs and stuffed into black plastic bags, according to medical examiner’s records and court filings.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • While the timber has long since rotted away, the posts lined up to point directly at the rising sun during the summer solstice and the setting sun at the winter solstice — in the same way as Stonehenge.
    — Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 18 June 2026
Definition of rotted
Adjective
  • There’s no way to know how many of the spoiled ballots were from Democrats or Republicans because voters in Wisconsin do not register by party.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
  • His crippling, his stubborn arrogance and refusal to be humbled, has somehow humanized the spoiled brat king.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of spoiled
Verb
  • Flights in early 2025, though, ended in a series of failures including two in which the Starship upper stage disintegrated in a fiery cascade of debris across the skies visible from Florida and the Caribbean.
    — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 July 2026
  • In the two-thousands, after the State disintegrated, Wain and two other members, Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black, formed the trio Stella, which helped define New York’s downtown alt-comedy scene.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 5 July 2026
Definition of disintegrated

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putrefied
putrefies
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Cite this Entry

“Putrefied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putrefied. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on putrefied

Nglish: Translation of putrefied for Spanish Speakers

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