putrefying 1 of 2

adjective

as in rotting

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putrefying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of putrefy
as in decomposing
to go through decomposition we traced the bad smell to a dead skunk putrefying under the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 putrefying
Verb
Repeating the experiment with other plants, including tomatoes and wheat, yielded similar results—but an encounter with putrefying animal tissues had no effect. — Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2026 East of Eden is a tome obsessed with guilt, sin, ambition, race, the land as healing and capitalism as putrefying, the nature of fate and the question of free will, and the role money and inheritance play in either our corruption or our cleansing. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 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
  1. putrescent
  2. decomposing
  3. decaying
  4. rotting
  5. moldy
  6. disintegrating
  7. corroded
Adjective
  • 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
Definition of putrescent
Verb
  • The body of 76-year-old Ronald Tyler was already decomposing by the time his daughter Terri found out where he was being stored.
    — Dave Savini, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • If soil amendment is needed, first add compost and decomposing leaves to the garden soil.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of decomposing
Adjective
  • Liberal critics, however, argued—also rightly—that the Soviet Union was a decaying, economically crippled giant by the time Reagan was inaugurated.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The district also could be in for other major changes in the coming years, including the opening of a few new schools to replace multiple decaying, underenrolled schools.
    — Scott Travis, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Definition of decaying
Verb
  • Rifkin recounted how an ordinary Saturday of shopping ended with Sierra leaving Machado, Julia and Daniela rotting in a closet and being eaten by insects.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The researchers grew the common research plant Arabidopsis thaliana in containers, some of which were dotted with patches of rotting apple.
    — Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of rotting
Adjective
  • Inside was a tumble of papers, some moldy, some with partial footprints, leaves and twigs interspersed among the pages.
    — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
  • While top-loading machines don’t have as many problems with moldy door seals, letting the drum dry when the machine is not in use is still a good idea.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of moldy
Verb
  • The stars have grown lethargic and limp, with lesions spread across their bodies, their arms falling off or disintegrating.
    — Joseph Ogilvy, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Segan’s thriller takes as its central dramatic question the tension between the analog and the digital, the New York that’s coming into being in the 2020s and the New York that’s disintegrating to bring it to life.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of disintegrating
Adjective
  • The corroded terminal, the location, 30 seconds of video of the noise, the hypothesis that was ruled out.
    — Julien Vantyghem, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • And no amount of paint can fix an unstable, corroded piece of furniture.
    — Felicia Feaster, Martha Stewart, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of corroded

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putrefying
putrescence
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Cite this Entry

“Putrefying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putrefying. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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