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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Investigators later searched the Ephrata home and storage unit of Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, and reported finding more than 100 human skulls, long bones, mummified hands and feet, two decomposing torsos and other skeletal items.—
Mark Scolforo,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
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For nearly two weeks before embarking on the cross-country road trip, the teenager lived with his parents’ decomposing bodies.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 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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Such rotting fruit from the forest floor contained higher concentrations of fermenting yeast and alcohol than the fruits hanging from trees.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
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Their roots need air, and soil can be too dense and lead to rotting roots.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In essence, this would mean that alpha particles (helium nuclei) released by decaying uranium (or some other fissile material) would be focused through engine nozzles to generate thrust.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
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By the time of his death in 2013, Venezuela’s economy was already decaying, its institutions hollowed, and its future mortgaged.—
Duncan S. DeMarsh,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Such jars of moldy fruit were probably fairly hideous to consume.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
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The last two years around here have probably felt like living in a college house with sticky floors and moldy showers.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s army was disintegrating in the face of a rapid advance by Syrian opposition forces under the command of Ahmad al-Sharaa, all the Russians were willing to do was launch a few symbolic airstrikes and help organize Assad’s getaway to a life in exile.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
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By removing microscopic defects and smoothing the surface, this coating ensures efficient energy flow while preventing the cell from disintegrating under intense heat.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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There, a corroded pipe leaked 5,000 gallons of fuel into the crawl space of a maintenance building associated with the elementary school.—
Emily Schwing,
NPR,
17 Nov. 2025
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The renovation plans call for replacing the sign’s corroded letters and converting the lighting to an LED system.—
Barbara Henry,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Putrefying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putrefying. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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