rotten

[ rot-n ]

/ ˈrɒt n /

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See synonyms for: rotten / rottenness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, rot·ten·er, rot·ten·est.

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

corrupt or morally offensive.

wretchedly bad, unpleasant, or unsatisfactory; miserable: a rotten piece of work; a rotten day at the office.

contemptible; despicable: a rotten little liar; a rotten trick.

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

Australian Slang. drunk.

OTHER WORDS FOR rotten

1 fetid, rank.

2 immoral.

4 disgusting, unwholesome; treacherous.

See synonyms for rotten on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR rotten

1 sound.

2 moral.

See antonyms for rotten on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of rotten

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

OTHER WORDS FROM rotten

rot·ten·ly, adverbrot·ten·ness, nounhalf-rotten, adjectiveun·rot·ten, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rotten in a sentence

It’s rather that the United States, sited on stolen lands and built by enslaved workers, was founded on rotten principles.
We teach students how to understand the U.S., not to love it — or hate it|Daniel Immerwahr|December 23, 2020|Washington Post
This raft can be chunks of wet rotten wood, fresh cut live wood or anything in between.
10 winter survival tips everyone should know|Tim MacWelch|December 15, 2020|Popular-Science
Trust your eyes and, more importantly, your nose, to avoid rotten fruit.
13 edible plants you can still find in the winter|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 1, 2020|Popular-Science
In winter, you’ll have to make sure you don’t eat a rotten one.
13 edible plants you can still find in the winter|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 1, 2020|Popular-Science

Part of that may be rotten luck, but clock management contributed to that record.
What to know from NFL Week 12: Tyreek Hill and Derrick Henry took over as the coronavirus loomed|Adam Kilgore|November 30, 2020|Washington Post
But each and every one of them has personal experience of the rottenness of the system.
The Protests in Moscow Will Not Spark a Russian Spring|Owen Matthews|December 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Intrigue and Love even aims full at the rottenness and corruption of the actual time.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4)|Richard Muther
The rottenness of the ground gave chances, and made it hazardous.
A Tramp's Notebook|Morley Roberts
Here, with graphic realism, and yet with perfect delicacy, its terrible rottenness is indicated.
British Quarterly Review, American Edition, Volume LIV|Various
The weight of this rottenness lay heaviest of all on the labouring poor, who stood undermost in the social scale.
The Life of Thomas Wanless, Peasant|Alexander Johnstone Wilson
Of course, you want to be nice and mellow with the trade, but always remember that mellowness carried too far becomes rottenness.
Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son|George Horace Lorimer

British Dictionary definitions for rotten

rotten

/ (ˈrɒtən) /

adjective

affected with rot; decomposing, decaying, or putrid

breaking up, esp through age or hard use; disintegratingrotten ironwork

morally despicable or corrupt

untrustworthy, disloyal, or treacherous

informal unpleasant, unfortunate, or nastyrotten luck; rotten weather

informal unsatisfactory or poorrotten workmanship

informal miserably unwell

informal distressed, uncomfortable, and embarrassedI felt rotten when I told him to go

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

slang, mainly Australian and NZ intoxicated; drunk

adverb informal

extremely; very muchmen fancy her rotten

Derived forms of rotten

rottenly, adverbrottenness, noun

Word Origin for rotten

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

rotten

OTHER WORDS FOR rotten

OPPOSITES FOR rotten

Origin of rotten

OTHER WORDS FROM rotten

Words related to rotten

How to use rotten in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rotten

Derived forms of rotten

Word Origin for rotten