rotten

[rot-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.

rotten

/ 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

adverb

1. extremely; very much

   men fancy her rotten

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of rotten¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of rotten¹

C13: from Old Norse rottin ; related to Old English rotian to _rot ¹

Example Sentences

"It's always been a rotten apple, not a rotten barrel," she said.

Read more on BBC

God knows, there are enough rotten policies, not to speak of corruption and mendacity, to keep everyone busy, and a mass movement does need to be widely inclusive.

Read more on Salon

"I said to Tony 'don't play me for the rest of the week'. I had a rotten week and I didn't feel part of it. It's why I stayed in my room for the celebrations."

Read more on BBC

Expensive furniture has been broken or thrown out of the window, fancy decorations ripped out, every page of a Quran torn, and it stinks of rotten leftover food.

Read more on BBC

Under cover of night, trucks have been regularly dumping rotten produce in an industrial neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• corrupt 
• disgusting 
• moldy 
• noxious 
• overripe 
• putrid 
• rancid 
• rotting www.thesaurus.com
• sour 
• spoiled 
• stale