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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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 Admittedly, his rounded route in his final act last season for Chicago deserves all the rotten cabbage. — Jess Bryant, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 During a recent visit by the Tribune, East 100th Street outside Pullman Innovations smelled somewhere between rotten eggs and manure. — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 The inhabitants of rotten-tail buildings repurpose the old and improvise to find a way of surviving an economic storm. — Mark Leonard, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 Remove any ripe or rotten food where the flies may have laid eggs. — Emma Jacobson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Aug. 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
  • None of its marks seem to maintain their integrity for more than an inch or two without being fretted or spoiled.
    — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • People are throwing out spoiled food and lining up for hot meals, according to reports, while searching for laundromats, working Wi-Fi, cleaning wipes and diapers.
    — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of spoiled
Adjective
  • As someone who isn’t a character person, the centerpiece for me is Villains Grove, which takes over the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail with projections and effects that nod to various evil characters.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Like Slaughterhouse–Five, Mother Night explores the shadowy line separating good and evil during wartime.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of evil
Adjective
  • Discard soy sauce that smells unpleasant, has a sour taste, or contains mold.
    — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Cedarwood Oil Cedarwood is another essential oil with an unpleasant smell to mice as well as other pests.
    — Emily Benda Gaylord, The Spruce, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • Whether the outcome will be terrible or beautiful is unclear.
    — Robert Rubsam, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Feral pigeons are famously terrible nest builders and are drawn to buildings and roofs with features like solar panels, chimneys, eaves, and AC units to make their homes.
    — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Dozens of companies have withdrawn over the past decades due to poor profits, an uncertain business outlook and concerns about harm to their reputations from making arms, especially lethal weapons.
    — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Along the way, the audience can expect tons of humiliation, terrible second prizes, and the guarantee that Robertson will turn at least one poor soul's wrong turn into several minutes of unhinged public destruction.
    — Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • The soil should be moist, faintly acid smelling, from its infusion of decayed compost.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Rossi treated the paint surface, meanwhile, by removing oxidized varnish, decayed retouching, and incoherent integrations and additions, allowing viewers to appreciate the luminosity of Fra Angelico’s palette and the precision of his gilding.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of decayed
Adjective
  • He was branded a heretic, in part for preaching that the nobility were immoral and so was nobility itself.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Heilbrun was speaking to his evaluation of Clancy’s case and her understanding of what is immoral.
    — NBC News, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of immoral
Adjective
  • The accident was one of the Portuguese capital’s worst tragedies in recent memory and cast a shadow over the city’s ongoing tourism boom.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The must-read Falling during a hike can lead to a serious injury, or even worse.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of bad

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rotten
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Cite this Entry

“Rotten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rotten. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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