rotten

American  

[rot-n] / ˈrɒt n /

adjective

rottener, rottenest

1. decomposing or decaying; putrid; tainted, foul, or bad-smelling.

   Synonyms:

   rank , fetid

   Antonyms:

   sound

2. corrupt or morally offensive.

   Synonyms:

   immoral

   Antonyms:

   moral

3. wretchedly bad, unpleasant, or unsatisfactory; miserable.

   a rotten piece of work; a rotten day at the office.

4. contemptible; despicable.

   a rotten little liar; a rotten trick.

   Synonyms:

   treacherous , unwholesome , disgusting

5. (of soil, rocks, etc.) soft, yielding, or friable as the result of decomposition.

6. Australian Slang.  drunk.

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rotten British  

/ ˈrɒtən /

adjective

1. affected with rot; decomposing, decaying, or putrid

2. breaking up, esp through age or hard use; disintegrating

   rotten ironwork

3. morally despicable or corrupt

4. untrustworthy, disloyal, or treacherous

5. informal  unpleasant, unfortunate, or nasty

   rotten luck

   rotten weather

6. informal  unsatisfactory or poor

   rotten workmanship

7. informal  miserably unwell

8. informal  distressed, uncomfortable, and embarrassed

   I felt rotten when I told him to go

9. (of rocks, soils, etc) soft and crumbling, esp as a result of weathering

10. slang  intoxicated; drunk

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adverb

1. extremely; very much

   men fancy her rotten

Other Word Forms

• half-rotten adjective
• rottenly adverb
• rottenness noun
• unrotten adjective

Etymology

Origin of rotten

1175–1225; Middle English roten < Old Norse rotinn, past participle of an unrecorded verb meaning “to rot”

Example Sentences

"I always thought it was a rotten idea."

From BBC

“My children are all decent people. I don’t have one rotten one, and I would like to think that they got some of that from me.”

From MarketWatch

Here, the Russian conscripts are either mean but brave or they just have rotten luck.

From Los Angeles Times

In this case, it’s a subplot about despondent self-deporting animals who resolve to flee Oz because their home has become hostile to their kind: “We can’t stay here. It’s become rotten,” says a bear.

From The Wall Street Journal

By the time the homicidal aberration tears out of her like an angry insect from a rotten apple, Matty’s fate is already sealed.

From Salon

Related Words

• corrupt
• disgusting
• moldy
• noxious
• overripe
• putrid
• rancid
• rotting
• sour
• spoiled
• stale