decomposition

as in decay
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances the unmistakable smell of decomposition led us to some fruit that had fallen behind the refrigerator

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for decomposition
Noun
  • Those folks even named the local wildlife refuge after swinging Sony Bono, but what came next was toxic salinity and decay as less water came in and the water that remained increased in salinity.
    Dennis Hinkamp, The Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2025
  • Introduced in the 1940s to combat tooth decay, around 63 percent of the U.S. population receives fluoridated water, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), though this is not federally mandated.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • In a process known as fermentation, these bacteria feast on the oligosaccharides, resulting in byproducts like hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, and, occasionally, sulfur—in other words, gas.
    Caroline Tien, SELF, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Favorable policies and product innovations in the US and Canada are expected to drive the growth and adoption of precision fermentation.
    Sarwant Singh, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Here was an artist drawn irresistibly to executions and corpses, dismemberment and putrefaction.
    airmail.news, airmail.news, 20 Apr. 2024
  • Kellogg’s thinking on constipation, that anything less than three bowel movements a day risked dangerous intestinal putrefaction, was shaped by the emerging germ theory of disease and the ascent of bacteriology as a discipline through the closing decades of the 19th century.
    Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024
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Thesaurus Entries Near decomposition

Cite this Entry

“Decomposition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decomposition. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

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