as in rotting
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
the house slowly fell into disrepair and rotted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposed
to go through decomposition
rotting vegetation on the bank of the river
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Recent Examples of rotted
Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 12 Jan. 2026
With the high humidity, most of the stock had rotted in a few days.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Rourke alleged that the floors were rotted, there was no running water in a couple of places there should have been and the place was infested with rodents.
—Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Vineyards were ripped out in record numbers in California, France, and elsewhere, and in some regions, grapes went unharvested and rotted on the vine.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 4 Jan. 2026
Economies rotted under the weight of crony capitalism or the various lies, cheats, and inefficiencies of socialism, unless temporarily sustained by external aid (Cuba) or oil (Iraq, Libya, Iran).
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
The foundation is sand, and the frame has rotted.
—Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa News, 11 Dec. 2025
While Mexico completed its about-face on migration, California’s lettuce crop rotted due to a lack of farmhands.
—Time, 4 Dec. 2025
According to the Riverfront Times, portions of his fingers had rotted away before anyone found him.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Verb
That includes money to replace a lot of wood that rotted away due to holes in the roof and walls.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 12 Jan. 2026
With the high humidity, most of the stock had rotted in a few days.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Rourke alleged that the floors were rotted, there was no running water in a couple of places there should have been and the place was infested with rodents.
—Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Vineyards were ripped out in record numbers in California, France, and elsewhere, and in some regions, grapes went unharvested and rotted on the vine.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 4 Jan. 2026
Economies rotted under the weight of crony capitalism or the various lies, cheats, and inefficiencies of socialism, unless temporarily sustained by external aid (Cuba) or oil (Iraq, Libya, Iran).
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
The foundation is sand, and the frame has rotted.
—Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa News, 11 Dec. 2025
While Mexico completed its about-face on migration, California’s lettuce crop rotted due to a lack of farmhands.
—Time, 4 Dec. 2025
According to the Riverfront Times, portions of his fingers had rotted away before anyone found him.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rotted
Verb
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At the time, Denver’s Landmark Preservation office told the Denver Gazette that the old neon was too deteriorated to restore.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The already-frosty relationship between Devers and the front office deteriorated to an irreparable level in May, when Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Ackerman’s remains were significantly decomposed and partially mummified, according to the autopsy report.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The child's body was decomposed, per the Sheriff's Office.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
26 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Of the 20 dead cats, eight were too decayed for a necropsy exam, which determines the cause of death of a dead animal and any associated diseases or injuries.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The breakthrough came when researchers focused on coelomic fluid, the internal liquid surrounding the sea stars’ organs, rather than tissue from decayed specimens.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Oil prices crumbled again a year later, sending Venezuela into economic calamity, with hyperinflation and mass migration out of the country.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
5 Jan. 2026
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Though both sides reached a settlement in November, the conflict was an ugly sign of how solidarity between these organizations crumbled in an attempt to persevere.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Eberflus’ best intentions and vision for winning football disintegrated due in part to his team’s lack of discipline and the coaching staff’s inability to steer out of even the smallest skids.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
But relationships at the club have clearly disintegrated to the point where United is now looking for a new permanent manager.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Four long years, during which the relationship between the flashy, flamboyant player and the sometimes-stodgy organization that turned him into a Charlotte legend seemed to spoil, turning almost rotten at times.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Traitors is about the gullible and the skeptical working together to sieve the fraudulent from the truthful, an amalgamated nightmare of village idiots locking themselves in the stocks and pelting each other with rotten fruit.—
Raven Smith,
Vogue,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The radical republic that replaced it bore little resemblance to the partner of 1778, having descended into chaos, executions, and ideological extremism that threatened neighboring states.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Middle East efforts In Bulgaria, Mladenov held the position of defense minister for a year, before serving as foreign minister from 2010-13, during the uprisings in the Middle East known as the Arab Spring when Syria also descended into civil war.—
Veselin Toshkov,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The backlash could’ve worsened the casualties in the nine-year war.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The immense costs associated with the program have only worsened the economic situation, leading to a more stifling environment.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rotted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rotted. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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