as in rotting
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Dissimilar Words
as in decomposing
to go through decomposition
we traced the bad smell to a dead skunk putrefying under the house
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Recent Examples of putrefying
Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
Verb
Because lose-lose situations are so endemic to the genre, a hint of relief can sometimes accompany the prospect of surrender to the putrefying mob.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putrefying
Verb
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After entering the home, officers found the decomposing body of an 81-year-old woman.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
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Over time, the soil improved by decomposing lawn clippings is more absorbent and well-drained.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This putrescent combination of sky-high home prices, rising mortgage rates and stifling consumer inflation have forced all but the wealthiest or most determined buyers out of a new home.—
Q.ai - Powering a Personal Wealth Movement,
Forbes,
17 Aug. 2022
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The most common are oils (cinnamon, clove, thyme, garlic, etc.), putrescent whole egg solids, dried blood, etc.—
Kym Pokorny,
OregonLive.com,
17 Apr. 2018
Verb
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Now, plans are finally underway to remove the rotting vestiges of the structure.—
Kathleen Hill,
The Providence Journal,
28 Mar. 2026
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Just keep it a couple of inches away from plant crowns and stems to avoid rotting.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The mill was abandoned in the 1970s, the rail line in the ’80s, and both sat decaying until just before the pandemic.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
3 Apr. 2026
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In addition to the decaying physical structure, Richards highlighted a decrease in correction officer staffing levels such that people inside do not feel safe.—
Steve Zeidman,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Inspectors noted issued with moldy food and gnats in the inspection report.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2026
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From moldy cheese to meat sitting out overnight, health inspectors in Missouri and Kansas found numerous violations at Kansas City-area restaurants in the last two weeks.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The meteor was moving southwest at 30,000 miles per hour and traveled 117 miles through the upper atmosphere before disintegrating 27 miles above the town of Galloway north of Atlantic City, New Jersey, according to NASA.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2026
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Last year, the Dominican Republic deported more than 100,000 Haitians back to their disintegrating country.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The Santa Ynez complex, then owned by a different company, spilled more than 100,000 gallons of oil near Refugio State Beach in 2015 after a corroded pipeline burst, prompting the state to shut down operations until certain conditions were met.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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The infrastructure is part of an offshore oil operation that had been closed since 2015, when a corroded section of one of the pipelines burst and caused one of the state’s worst oil spills.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Putrefying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putrefying. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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