rotten

adjective

ˈrä-tᵊn How to pronounce rotten (audio)
Definition of rottennext
1
as in spoiled
having undergone organic breakdown rotten, smelly meat that should have been thrown out

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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

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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

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 South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a Notice of Violation to Lineage Logistics in Boyle Heights after community members reported rotten, sour, and garbage-like odors in the area following the warehouse fire. — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 13 July 2026 However, the various hosts of these parasites can live in a variety of places, such as in figs, leaves or even deep in rotten wood. — Philip Anderson, The Conversation, 8 July 2026 But Reddick shouldn’t yet be counted out because his recent downturn is more due to rotten luck than substandard performance. — Jess Bryant, New York Times, 4 July 2026 Unashamed about its unoriginality, the movie debuted in May last year to a 'rotten' rating by critics and audiences alike on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for rotten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rotten
  1. spoiled
  2. evil
  3. unpleasant
  4. terrible
  5. poor
  6. decayed
  7. immoral
  8. bad
Adjective
  • There’s no way to know how many of the spoiled ballots were from Democrats or Republicans because voters in Wisconsin do not register by party.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
  • His crippling, his stubborn arrogance and refusal to be humbled, has somehow humanized the spoiled brat king.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of spoiled
Adjective
  • In addition to the Griffins’ evil-genius toddler son, MacFarlane will voice Bean, Stewie’s man-of-very-few-words classmate who was dropped on his head one too many times.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 22 July 2026
  • With the franchise’s trademark blend of extreme gore and dark humor, the Evil Dead backstory centers on the ancient Book of the Dead that unleashes supernatural evil forces and twists victims into sadistic, shape-shifting, near-invincible monsters.
    — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 21 July 2026
Definition of evil
Adjective
  • While some may be looking for more reasons to eat cookies, many more are simply hesitating to eat salads and other fresh produce amid a multistate outbreak of cyclospora, known for that unpleasant symptom, among others.
    — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • Principal owner John Middleton recently discussed the challenging decision to dismiss longtime manager Rob Thomson, admitting that terminating employees remains the most difficult and unpleasant aspect of his executive role, even after decades.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • Why do some people stay in terrible, horrible, no good, very bad jobs?
    — Joseph Kim, NPR, 22 July 2026
  • Three years ago, Victor Wembanyama was terrible, and Houston’s Cam Whitmore won Summer MVP.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Madrid had a poor 2024-25, failing to win the Spanish title or the Champions League, but Mbappe still scored 42 goals in 44 appearances.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • Using Neanderthal cranium shapes to estimate specific brain regions’ volume, some investigators claimed to see signs of a mind with feeble linguistic abilities, poor executive function and an unremarkable memory.
    — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 20 July 2026
Definition of poor
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
Definition of decayed
Adjective
  • Some rabbinic readings attribute Lot’s hesitation to leave Sodom to his immoral greed and inordinate wealth.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
  • Court records show that 60-year-old Bradley Kyle Martin, of Dearborn Heights, is charged with using a computer or internet to communicate with another person to commit a crime and accosting children for immoral purposes.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 25 June 2026
Definition of immoral
Adjective
  • The situation is particularly bad in France, which has already recorded more than 300 wildfires this year, compared to an annual average of 93, according to the EFFIS.
    — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • Anderson’s injury record is slightly worse by virtue of a stress fracture in his back that kept him out for four months in the middle of the 2023-24 season, but over the two subsequent campaigns both have been near-constantly available.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of bad

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Cite this Entry

“Rotten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rotten. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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