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 King recommends going through your refrigerator to throw away any expired or rotten food before cleaning the inside with soap and hot water. — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 19 June 2026 Consequently, between Dick’s stubborn disposition and the fun the Indians had, Dick never worked much and was spoiled rotten. — Dolores Brown, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026 Big Red might be a braggart, a bully and rotten to the core, but Lasdun invokes Thomas De Quincey’s neat point about how a man’s capacity to rob says nothing about his propensity to murder. — Literary Hub, 25 June 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
  • Lineage officials said that their top priority as of Monday night was addressing the stench permeating over Boyle Heights due to the spoiled food.
    — Austin Turner, CBS News, 29 June 2026
  • Blyth was nominated in the supporting role as Mildred's spoiled daughter, Veda, who seduces her mother's second husband (Zachary Scott), then riddles him with bullets in a jealous rage.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 June 2026
Definition of spoiled
Adjective
  • There is so much evil and suffering in the world, so much conniving and malicious intent, and the self is, at least, a familiar foe.
    — Meghan O’Gieblyn, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • When the monsters reveal an evil agenda that goes beyond becoming movie stars, the Minions are forced to battle them to save the world.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026
Definition of evil
Adjective
  • Alas, Ligeti proved to be an extraordinarily difficult collaborator, his manic perfectionism colliding with practical reality and leading to unpleasant scenes.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • The consequences are unpleasant, but can also turn dangerous very quickly as body temperature rises.
    — Victoria Forster, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • Thank you to everyone who read or contributed to this column over the years, who reached out to me with story ideas or tips, or complimented my terrible artwork.
    — Zach Wichter, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • Visitors will see his Rough Riders uniform; the 1884 diary grieving his terrible loss; and the eyeglasses case, speech and shirt from the 1912 assassination attempt against him.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Overflowing poor drainage areas in urban areas of northwest Hickory and in the Northlakes area of Caldwell County.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
  • There was a lot of poor decision-making with this match, on and off the pitch.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 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
  • 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
  • These monsters—its antitheses—constitute that part of our nature that urges us to be sensible and strong, and that inclines us to see the life drive as trivial, weak, sentimental and immoral.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 June 2026
Definition of immoral
Adjective
  • That if you were deemed, as an enslaved person, if you were deemed troublesome or in some way unwanted, you would literally be sold down the river from the more northern states to the deeper south where you would potentially be treated even worse.
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Offer Real Value, Not Leftovers Most product bundles fail not because the idea is bad but because the execution misses what consumers actually want.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of bad

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rotten
rottenly
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Cite this Entry

“Rotten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rotten. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of rotten for Spanish Speakers

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