1
as in spoiled
having undergone organic breakdown
rotten, smelly meat that should have been thrown out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in horrible
extremely unsatisfactory
rotten housing conditions that no one should be forced to tolerate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in poor
of low quality
I can't do anything with these rotten tools
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 rotten
The Karen Read case exposed just how rotten the Bay State justice system can be.
—
Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
Chalobah’s dismissal is disastrous, given Chelsea’s rotten luck with injuries throughout the back four.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
This smells strongly of rotten eggs.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2025
And adding insult to injury, the whole plant smells like rotten peanut butter.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rotten
Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
Chalobah’s dismissal is disastrous, given Chelsea’s rotten luck with injuries throughout the back four.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
This smells strongly of rotten eggs.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2025
And adding insult to injury, the whole plant smells like rotten peanut butter.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rotten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rotten
Adjective
-
The spoiled food was brought onboard by a customer and was not related to in-flight food or drinks, according to the company.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Bad gas often has a spoiled or sour smell.—
Kamron Sanders,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
They are known as witches or evil shamans with the ability to shape-shift into animals or other people and are both feared and respected.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Also nominated, Pohl starred as evil Esme Prince on General Hospital.—
Stephanie Wenger,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Considering that Rebecca and Noah’s mom, Bina (Tovah Feldshuh), came off as equally unpleasant, Foster, Konner, and Kaplan kind of had to retool the character.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Despite being so unpleasant, hemorrhoid complications are surprisingly common.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Inherently, a writer doing historical research is always victim to this horrible irony.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
-
There are some horrible things said on stage by the mystery writer that Tony Carlin plays.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s another element of the current concern regarding due process that relates to the fate of poor Cinna.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Oct. 2025
-
McDaniel’s debut album Lost Ones delves into his own story of growing up in a poor community in Kentucky, and dealing with mental health struggles, both personally and within his family — as well as McDaniel’s story of being saved during a past suicide attempt years ago.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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
Adjective
-
It was considered immoral to lie and the whole point of writing things down back then was to increase morality and improve society, so there really is no didactic history of forgery.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Unlike previous seasons, Dorothy never makes immoral choices.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
So sorry, fantasy coaches and anybody that bet on me, my bad.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Joseph had maybe his worst day of the year.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rotten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rotten. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share