rotted 1 of 2

adjective

as in rotting

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rotted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of rot
1
as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value the house slowly fell into disrepair and rotted

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposed
to go through decomposition rotting vegetation on the bank of the river

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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 rotted
Adjective
Inspect fences and perform any repairs or maintenance, such as reinforcing posts or replacing rotted sections. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026 Many grapes become too rotted and are left to wither away. — John Mariani, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
By this point the food in her fridge rotted and her basement flooded. — Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026 In the process, Ownbey discovered support timbers had rotted away, forcing him to bring entire walls to his workshop for meticulous reconstruction. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 19 Aug. 2026 The missing 14-year-old’s body rotted for weeks until it was found in the trunk of a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard last September, severed at the limbs and stuffed into black plastic bags, according to medical examiner’s records and court filings. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026 While the timber has long since rotted away, the posts lined up to point directly at the rising sun during the summer solstice and the setting sun at the winter solstice — in the same way as Stonehenge. — Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 18 June 2026 The storm hit Jamaica on August 12, splintering three hundred homes, and 90 percent of banana crops rotted to black in the post-storm humidity. — Literary Hub, 16 June 2026 Now the pages are yellowed; the rubber band rotted away years ago. — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 31 May 2026 That last line is a nod for the brain-rotted among us. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2026 Conley could’ve rotted away in Chicago. — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rotted
  1. decayed
  2. deteriorated
  3. decomposed
  4. rotten
  5. crumbled
  6. disintegrated
  7. decaying
  8. descended
Adjective
  • The soil should be moist, faintly acid smelling, from its infusion of decayed compost.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Rossi treated the paint surface, meanwhile, by removing oxidized varnish, decayed retouching, and incoherent integrations and additions, allowing viewers to appreciate the luminosity of Fra Angelico’s palette and the precision of his gilding.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of decayed
Verb
  • Her motive wasn’t a major part of the trial, but evidence presented by the prosecution suggested her relationship with her in-laws had deteriorated.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
  • As the deployment has stretched on and living conditions on board have allegedly deteriorated, the crew of the Lincoln has also reportedly struggled with increasing mental health concerns.
    — Connor Greene, Time, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of deteriorated
Verb
  • The study hypothesized that the sickle was added before the body fully decomposed since no joints were detached or displaced, as archaeologists would expect if a grave were to be disturbed after the body became a skeleton.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The autopsy report said investigators used dental image comparisons to identify the body, which was severely decomposed.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of decomposed
Adjective
  • Neighbors said the rotten-egg smell has gotten worse over the last couple of weeks, even trailing to apartments across the street.
    — Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The inspection followed a hunger strike by detainees, who in a letter, complained about rotten or worm-infested food, medical neglect, and being coerced into signing deportation orders.
    — Vanessa Romo, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of rotten
Verb
  • The fundamental bargain the United States offered has crumbled, and it will not be easily rebuilt.
    — MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The asphalt had crumbled into massive chunks when heavy rain and flooding struck the city about 50 miles east of Indianapolis earlier this week.
    — Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of crumbled
Verb
  • Just seconds later, in a separate incident, the Brazilian F50 was about to go into a standard jibe maneuver (turning the boat through the wind to change direction) but disintegrated in the blink of an eye.
    — Andrew Rice, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Tim Graham/Getty Images Most Popular Nader’s empire quickly disintegrated into chaos.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of disintegrated
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
  • Archive footage shows how news crews descended on the home as the hostage drama unfolded.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Thousands of athletes from around the world descended on Chicago this weekend, ready to test months of training at the country’s largest triathlon.
    — Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of descended

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Cite this Entry

“Rotted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rotted. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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