as in decomposition
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances
the ghastly festering of the corpses abandoned on the battlefield
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bleeding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rotting
to go through decomposition
a week after the battle the corpses of the fallen were still festering in the fields
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of festering
Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2023
For the moment at least, embassies remain open in both capitals despite a festering but unrelated diplomatic spat that has seen the two sides expel dozens of diplomats since 2017.
—chicagotribune.com, 3 Mar. 2022
Adjective
Adding to the festering sense of uncertainty about the enterprise is the principal characters’ embrace of the supernatural.
—Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2023
For the moment at least, embassies remain open in both capitals despite a festering but unrelated diplomatic spat that has seen the two sides expel dozens of diplomats since 2017.
—chicagotribune.com, 3 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festering
Verb
-
Then came the yacht’s renaissance by her father, who saw beauty and sailing prowess inside a rotting hull.—
Tristan Rutherford,
Robb Report,
3 Jan. 2025
-
Rotting Flesh and the Skeleton Underneath Eggers wanted the audience almost to smell the rotting flesh when the sarcophagus is flipped open.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The trooper announced her presence and entered the home and noted there was a strong odor of decay coming from both doorways, according to the warrant affidavit.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
19 Feb. 2025
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Mutations in another group of genes cause weaker tooth enamel, raising the risk of decay.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Ben Johnson has a ‘burning desire’ to be a head coach.—
Brad Biggs,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2025
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For answers to more burning questions about Season 2, plus Season 3 clues (including which Season 1 character will be coming back), read Deadline’s interview with The Night Agent showrunner Shawn Ryan.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Hurricane Milton this past October laid bare the rot in our infrastructure.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
-
What’s happened in the military is only the most vivid example of the rot that sets into any institution that abandons merit for diversity, equality for equity, expectations for inclusion.—
Bret Stephens,
The Mercury News,
1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Four days earlier, head coach Rick Pitino had suggested Smith could miss the remainder of the regular season due to a nagging neck/shoulder injury.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2025
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Tom’s nagging emptiness does not have a core of profundity, but he’s also not passed off as a comic type (despite hauling out the same story about a bet with Rafael Nadal).—
Nicolas Rapold,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The It alum underwent yet another dramatic transformation for his latest role, including prosthetics to give him decaying skin, protruding cheekbones, and an altogether frightening look.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
5 Jan. 2025
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But in the city’s old neighborhoods, nothing seems to have changed apart from new street signs that have been posted incongruously on decaying buildings and market stalls.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Their ancient bones are in the process of disintegrating.—
Laura Collins-Hughes,
New York Times,
3 Jan. 2025
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Except—and for me, the difference is crucial—Akhtar employed his creativity and imagination to shape these source materials into an utterly original work of art, whereas the rapidly disintegrating McNeal employs a chatbot, which shapes the material into an uncannily precise act of mimesis.—
Ayad Akhtar,
The Atlantic,
4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Academic opportunists the past week showed once more how pernicious, naïve misinformation can catch fire and consume the truth, especially when dressed with the veneer of academic credibility.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
2 Feb. 2023
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Most of us can agree the world is in a perilous state, with natural disasters multiplying, pernicious new viruses continually emerging, the planet steadily overheating, and wars raging in constant rotation.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
1 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Festering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festering. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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