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
So much of it has degraded—tapes rotted to spooky fuzz, videos with shaggy images and too‑white faces. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 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 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
  • In 2022, a man's decayed body was found stuffed into a metal barrel.
    — Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The soil should be moist, faintly acid smelling, from its infusion of decayed compost.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of decayed
Verb
  • The central bank's monthly Survey of Consumer Expectations found that consumers expect inflation to be even higher a year from now, while perceptions about their own financial standing deteriorated.
    — Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • However, as Germany’s economic problems — slow growth, high inflation, rising energy prices — have worsened, public sentiment toward the newcomers has deteriorated.
    — Kirsten Grieshaber, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of deteriorated
Verb
  • Most of the remains were severely decomposed, but investigators believed Montgomery had been dead for less than a day when he was found.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The fungal structures of either species inhabit soil where infected plant debris has decomposed.
    — Emily Leahy, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of decomposed
Adjective
  • But the thing that always stayed the same was that there was something a little rotten in her.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Previous Evil pics have been rotten on Rotten Tomatoes with critics.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of rotten
Verb
  • Although the terror group’s caliphate crumbled in 2019, ISIS has been gaining young American followers willing to take their violent direction.
    — Jeff Winter, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
  • One source familiar with the negotiations said the states had four separate votes against settling on Sunday, but the resistance eventually crumbled with word that the WGA was backing out of the fight.
    — Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of crumbled
Verb
  • After 14 years of exploration, the Galileo spacecraft intentionally fell into Jupiter and disintegrated in the planet's dense atmosphere.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • But slack defending allowed Chelsea’s individual quality to shine and as the match wore on, United’s confidence disintegrated.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 14 Sep. 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
  • The one who does the best is Teresa with her poofy updo supporting a little crown and a corseted gown that looks like something Bertha Russel would have descended an elaborate staircase wearing.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The aviation tracking site Flightradar24 said data shows at one point the plane descended more than 14,000 feet, or nearly three miles, in under 30 seconds — way faster than normal.
    — Kat Lonsdorf, NPR, 5 Oct. 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 8 Oct. 2026.

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