rotting 1 of 3

adjective

as in rotted

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rotting

2 of 3

noun

as in decay

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rotting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of rot
1
as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value the house slowly fell into disrepair and rotted

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposing
to go through decomposition rotting vegetation on the bank of the river

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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 rotting
Verb
In the weeks after, more than 85 million pounds of rotting food being kept at the cold storage facility began to rot, leaving a putrid stench lingering over the area that led to infestations of rats, flies and other rodents. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 The fire’s aftermath was just as bad, with cleanup crews having to contend with removing 89 million pounds of thawing, rotting meat, debris and other material. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026 Bacteria cause gas to build up inside the tree, forcing it to weep through cracks and holes and potentially rotting off bark. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2026 The zombie – slow moving, with sallow complexion, hollow eyes, rotting teeth and a hunger for human flesh – has been lumbering through Hollywood movies for decades now. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2026 The next night, at around four o’clock in the morning, the wind in lower Manhattan shifted and the smell of rotting flesh came through the window of my apartment, a little more than a mile northeast of Ground Zero. — Peter Wilkinson, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026 Gadgets with screens of any size have long been allegedly melting, rotting, and/or corrupting the brains of youths for decades. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2026 Flies buzz over the rotting carcass, which is riven by claw marks so unnaturally deep that no one can determine whomauledit. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026 The government still has not come up with a solution to the mountainous piles of rotting garbage that accumulate on the streets for months. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rotting
  1. rotted
  2. decay
  3. deteriorating
  4. decomposing
  5. decaying
  6. crumbling
  7. worsening
  8. disintegrating
Adjective
  • Inspect fences and perform any repairs or maintenance, such as reinforcing posts or replacing rotted sections.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
  • Many grapes become too rotted and are left to wither away.
    — John Mariani, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of rotted
Noun
  • Radioisotope power systems convert heat from radioactive decay into electricity.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Conversely, modern concrete is subject to irreversible decay, a form of disintegration owing to its formation as a composite of cement and aggregate materials, such as gravel and sand.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of decay
Verb
  • The conditions for Palestinians living in the West Bank are deteriorating rapidly.
    — Michael Robbins, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Park advocates have long argued that the existing city allocation is inadequate, leaving neighborhoods with decaying recreation centers, deteriorating swimming pools and filthy park bathrooms.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of deteriorating
Verb
  • Even poor Maggie the cat — the only living animal in Digger’s house and possibly one of the last living animals in the world — is decomposing in his arms, his sister (Sandra Hüller) says with a shudder.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Her decomposing body was found in a plastic bin more than a year after death.
    — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of decomposing
Adjective
  • Liberal critics, however, argued—also rightly—that the Soviet Union was a decaying, economically crippled giant by the time Reagan was inaugurated.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The district also could be in for other major changes in the coming years, including the opening of a few new schools to replace multiple decaying, underenrolled schools.
    — Scott Travis, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Definition of decaying
Noun
  • Besides preventing mold and mildew, cleaning will also reduce unpleasant odors and prevent cracking and crumbling of your seal.
    — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The rest of the world is watching the crumbling of America’s economic relationship with its closest trading partner, and an administration that is calling into question the sanctity of free trade agreements generally.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of crumbling
Verb
  • Police have not revealed a motive for the attack, but court records exposed months of discord that appeared to be worsening.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The case accused school officials of unreasonably exposing McNair to the risk of heatstroke, failing to recognize the initial symptoms and inadequately providing medical care and treatment, thus worsening McNair’s condition.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of worsening
Verb
  • Scott’s face, in this shot, is a whole novel, disintegrating into tears before being shored up again, eventually rearranged into something resembling a welcoming smile that teeters on the edge of collapse.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The 110-floor south tower, struck shortly after the north tower by another plane, was disintegrating.
    — Diane Herbst, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of disintegrating

Browse Nearby Words

rotters
rotting
rotund
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Cite this Entry

“Rotting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rotting. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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