1
as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value
the house slowly fell into disrepair and rotted
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decaying
to go through decomposition
rotting vegetation on the bank of the river
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rotted
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in decay
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rotting
Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2025
Warm soil can interfere with tuber growth and increase the likelihood of your potatoes rotting in the ground.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025
The garden reeks of rotting figs.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
His teeth were rotting; his toenails were mostly black.
—Nicholas Thompson, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
These cabinets held nothing but nameless rotting bodies.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Always allow the soil to dry completely before watering to avoid rotting the roots.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2025
Amir’s work and relationship start to suffer as he becomes obsessed with his rotting leg.
—Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Garbage, rotting food with bugs and clothing stacked close to the ceiling were also seen in most areas of the house.
—Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
Churches, libraries, and houses stand splintered and rotting next to posh tourist resorts, the aftermath of 2017’s Hurricane Maria.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2025
Warm soil can interfere with tuber growth and increase the likelihood of your potatoes rotting in the ground.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025
The garden reeks of rotting figs.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
His teeth were rotting; his toenails were mostly black.
—Nicholas Thompson, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
These cabinets held nothing but nameless rotting bodies.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Always allow the soil to dry completely before watering to avoid rotting the roots.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2025
Amir’s work and relationship start to suffer as he becomes obsessed with his rotting leg.
—Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Garbage, rotting food with bugs and clothing stacked close to the ceiling were also seen in most areas of the house.
—Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rotting
Verb
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Nandi is experiencing severe insomnia, tremors and psychosis, and her quickly deteriorating condition bewilders the emergency room staff.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
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An inspection also calls attention safety issues that require repairs, like cracks, a deteriorating liner, or problems with the flue or chimney cap.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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What Pasolini wants is to turn this decaying palazzo into the Château de Silling, the house in which Sade’s libertines conduct their atrocious experiments.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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The decaying carcasses would have been covered by a film of bacteria, which can electrostatically attract clay found in the surrounding sediment.—
Amanda Schupak,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Despite years of legal battles over the relocations, more than 150,000 bodies were exhumed from the 1920s to the early 1940s for the trip to Colma, each in various stages of decay.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
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Why didn’t evolution produce a more dependable version of the human body, less prone to malfunction and decay?—
Lucinda Rosenfeld,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In addition to rampant inflation, goods shortages, and a crumbling labor market, the liquid reserves held in Russia’s National Wealth Fund continue to decline precipitously, down to approximately $35 billion from $117 billion three years ago.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
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The dilapidated wooden trim and sagging porticos were spruced up a few years ago after preservationists complained to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, but the upstairs windows reveal glimpses of peeling paint, crumbling plaster, and collapsing ceilings inside.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Another legend explains how in the distant past, the nefarious Lake Nyos was formed from the decomposing body of a Kom chief whose people had been tricked and murdered by the Bamessi tribe.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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Thatch is made up of decomposing grass stems and roots on the soil surface.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Verb
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At the time, Jassy attributed the job cuts to a worsening global economic outlook.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
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Speaking from Toronto, where he is currently based, Persaud emphasized that while pre-storm aid delivery is limited due to worsening conditions, the real challenge will begin after the hurricane passes.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This difference sounds small, but preventing a few tenths of a degree of warming could keep polar ice caps from completely disintegrating, coral reefs from collapsing and other tipping points from triggering.—
Syris Valentine,
Scientific American,
16 Oct. 2025
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As gifts go, this one comes much belated—and with a high risk of disintegrating even as it is being unwrapped.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rotting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rotting. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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