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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rotten
This led to rotten cocoa pods and widespread outbreaks of diseases like Cocoa Swollen Stem Virus and black pod, because of waterlogging.
—
Indrabati Lahiri, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Food is scarce or goes rotten because of a lack of refrigeration.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
That probably rotten piece of flesh.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
Imagine taking the rotten parking meter deal statewide.
—Jackson Potter, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rotten
Indrabati Lahiri, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Food is scarce or goes rotten because of a lack of refrigeration.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
That probably rotten piece of flesh.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
Imagine taking the rotten parking meter deal statewide.
—Jackson Potter, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rotten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rotten
Adjective
-
Cleaning up bird seed, spoiled fruit, and other easy sources of food is the best way to reduce rodent problems and deter the ticks that use rodents as hosts.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 June 2026
-
Taken together, the blank or spoiled ballots would have comfortably won the April vote, and the blank votes alone would have beaten thirty-four of the thirty-five candidates.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
After the evil Skeletor (Jared Leto) snatches his parents, Adam is plucked out of Eternia and returns years later from the human world to assume his true identity as He-Man and save the planet.—
Matt Minton,
Variety,
6 June 2026
-
Young Prince Adam of Eternia (Nicholas Galitzine) is sent to Earth to protect him from the evil and hilarious Skeletor (Jared Leto), who now rules Eternia.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Toussaint, a Black British actor, also addressed unpleasant early backlash against his casting from internet trolls.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
-
No, the most unpleasant part of descending into New York City's vast sewer system, according to former urban explorer Steve Duncan, was the cockroaches.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
In 2012, a powerful quake visited terrible damage on the city of Modena, Bottura’s home and host to his restaurant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
The letter writer’s cousin has cancer, and the chemo gives her terrible side effects.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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The second didn’t go nearly as well for Bussi as Karlsson and Howden scored on two of the Golden Knights’ six shots in the period to tie the score at 3-3 heading into the third, the tying goal coming off a Seth Jarvis turnover and a couple of poor defensive plays by Sean Walker and K’Andre Miller.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
Heat radiates from the pages of this extraordinary novel about a poor family in rural Mississippi in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Discard any that look dead or decayed.—
Helena Madden,
Martha Stewart,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The farm buildings on the property—long verandas, shearing sheds, and concrete kennels—are old and decayed, remnants from long before the group showed up.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Similarly, having a conscience means feeling sadness or moral repulsion at the idea of taking a certain action, and those emotions entail a physiological response, a remnant of having once felt sick with guilt after committing an immoral act.—
Ted Chiang,
The Atlantic,
3 June 2026
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Ryan Josue Rojas, 20, of Herriman, Utah, was arraigned Sunday on one count of accosting a minor for immoral purposes, Michigan State Police said.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Especially defensively, where the Sparks had seemingly been getting worse.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
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The festival begins next week for the World Cup, but part of Poplar Drive is already closed, and some neighbors say the closure is making traffic in the area even worse.—
Ryan Hughes,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rotten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rotten. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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