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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 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
-
One hundred and thirteen years later, much of the great vessel — and what’s left of its splendors — remains in the same spot it was found four decades ago in 1985, though decay and human interference have changed its form over time.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Water fluoridation has been proven to be so effective at preventing tooth decay that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) named it one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century, a time during which Americans' life expectancies rose by 30 years.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
13 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Putrescence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putrescence. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share