1
as in spoiled
having undergone organic breakdown
rotten, smelly meat that should have been thrown out
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in evil
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
played a rotten trick and then lied about it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses
had a rotten time while on vacation
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4
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory
rotten housing conditions that no one should be forced to tolerate
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5
as in poor
of low quality
I can't do anything with these rotten tools
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rotten
Bad One of the first signs your potting soil has gone bad is a rotten egg or sulfur smell.
—
Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 3 Mar. 2026
Other signs include a rotten-egg smell in the water, odd noises from the water heater, rust-colored water, and low water pressure.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Feb. 2026
There’s no sticky floors or rotten wood smell.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Feb. 2026
Vacuum If there’s a possibility of coming across rotten food or mold in the fridge, biohazard expert and supervisor Gabby Martin of Bio Recovery urges you to use personal protective equipment (PPE) while cleaning.
—Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rotten
Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 3 Mar. 2026
Other signs include a rotten-egg smell in the water, odd noises from the water heater, rust-colored water, and low water pressure.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Feb. 2026
There’s no sticky floors or rotten wood smell.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Feb. 2026
Vacuum If there’s a possibility of coming across rotten food or mold in the fridge, biohazard expert and supervisor Gabby Martin of Bio Recovery urges you to use personal protective equipment (PPE) while cleaning.
—Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rotten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rotten
Adjective
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That said, ensuring community pets are thoroughly taken care of—perhaps even spoiled— is a cause many feel called to support.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
15 Mar. 2026
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The spousal death brings Madison Avenue queen Stacy out of New York City with her urban-spoiled daughters and granddaughters.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Though when he’s finally seen in full evil flight, the actor is arguably allowed to wax a little too cute about it.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
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Sinners is a reevaluation of everything we’re told is scary or evil.—
Kemi Alemoru,
Glamour,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This unpleasant odor, Smith explained, is the result of something called asparagusic acid, which is unique to the vegetable.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
14 Mar. 2026
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In addition to unpleasant flavors, how your flour smells or looks can indicate spoilage.—
Hannah Lee Leidy,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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As compiled by Gnostics, who consider the material world to be a fundamentally terrible place.—
Jay Martel,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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The Astros’ young second baseman, Jose Altuve, was making waves, Fisher remembered, yet the club still looked terrible.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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While youth suicide remains a leading cause of death, the youth suicide rate is down in Colorado, and the number of kids reporting poor mental health also dropped from 23% in 2023 to 14% in 2025.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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The launch came amid overcast skies and a weather forecast that was reduced to just a 75% chance for good conditions, according to Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron, which also noted a moderate risk for poor conditions at the booster landing site.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Some are sandy; others are rich in organic matter formed from centuries of decayed plants.—
Dinesh Phuyal,
The Conversation,
26 Jan. 2026
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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
Adjective
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More and more people are avoiding dating or befriending those with opposing political views, and growing numbers describe those on the other side as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent.—
Justin Callais,
Twin Cities,
5 Mar. 2026
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More and more people are avoiding dating or befriending those with opposing political views, and growing numbers describe those on the other side as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent.—
Justin Callais,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Nobody paid much attention to weather forecasts because winter days were usually the same and, if different, just worse.—
Bradley Gitz,
Arkansas Online,
16 Mar. 2026
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Jokic eagerly took advantage of bad transition defense, looking for long outlet passes to Braun and Bruce Brown.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rotten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rotten. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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