as in decomposition
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances
in the far corner of the walk-in refrigerator was a crate of cucumbers in an advanced stage of putrescence
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Recent Examples of putrescence
In 19th-century cities, when waste disposal was a private matter and not yet a public responsibility, households lived close to their own putrescence.
—
Curbed, 12 Aug. 2022
There was no evidence to suggest the existence of four receptor classes, rather than three, or five, or ten; nor was there any serious reason to believe that acidity and goatiness—but not, say, florality or putrescence—were fundamentals of odor.
—Scott Sayare, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021
In various states of putrescence—worms wriggling, entrails dangling—cadavers rise from their graves to join the Dance of Death.
—Felipe Fernández-Armesto, WSJ, 24 Apr. 2020
At the opposite end of spring's floral awakening lingers the rot of deciduous fall: the putrescence of stranded, spent salmon; the sweet stench of walrus or whale melting on Nome's driftwood beaches.
—Michael Engelhard, Alaska Dispatch News, 1 July 2017
Curbed, 12 Aug. 2022
There was no evidence to suggest the existence of four receptor classes, rather than three, or five, or ten; nor was there any serious reason to believe that acidity and goatiness—but not, say, florality or putrescence—were fundamentals of odor.
—Scott Sayare, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021
In various states of putrescence—worms wriggling, entrails dangling—cadavers rise from their graves to join the Dance of Death.
—Felipe Fernández-Armesto, WSJ, 24 Apr. 2020
At the opposite end of spring's floral awakening lingers the rot of deciduous fall: the putrescence of stranded, spent salmon; the sweet stench of walrus or whale melting on Nome's driftwood beaches.
—Michael Engelhard, Alaska Dispatch News, 1 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putrescence
Noun
-
The system begins by preprocessing battery data using a technique called complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
-
In addition, warmer water temperatures and the decomposition of organic material can promote bacterial growth.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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If a single atom of that sample decays, the vial breaks, and the cat dies.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The universe, however, consists of matter but almost no antimatter, which exists naturally only in small quantities, created by radioactive decay and cosmic ray collisions.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Putrescence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putrescence. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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