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
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
But part of it has to do with who’s using that technology to spread brain-rotting information.Megan Poinski, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
-
The wood was rotting, algae was growing and there were about 20 cats living inside, French, 27, tells CNBC Make It.Celia Fernandez,Mickey Todiwala, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Brain rot is thus a strikingly capacious term, enfolding the psychological and cognitive decay wrought by screen addiction, the bacteria-like content that feeds the addiction, and the argot of a generation for whom much of this content is made.Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
-
In the early to mid 20th century, older adults quite commonly developed such severe dental decay, necessitating complete dental extractions followed by dentures by the 7th or 8th decades of life.Nina Shapiro, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
At private equity firm TPG, global head of human resources Anna Edwin poised one of the most burning questions for business leaders in thinking through their future talent strategies.Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2024
-
Social media star Hannah Neeleman and her husband Daniel Neeleman are answering fans' most burning question.Charmaine Patterson, Peoplemag, 30 July 2024
Noun
-
In addition to 'brain rot,' the following five words were found by Oxford University Press experts to have gained a spike in usage and prominence this year.Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2024
-
Unfortunately for Ortberg, the rot goes back well over a decade.Allison Morrow, CNN, 25 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Butler has garnered a list of nagging injuries over the years that could present a challenge to a Lakers roster featuring two leaders in their thirties who have also collected laundry lists of injuries over the years.Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
-
The maturity of the record speaks to the growth that comes with age and wisdom — both are in their 50s — and the nagging discourse that hip-hop is a young person’s sport.Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Top quarks and antiquarks begin to disappear from this primordial particle-antiparticle soup, decaying away faster than the Universe can recreate them.Big Think, Big Think, 10 Dec. 2024
-
According to Schrader, Gere initially wanted to take his decaying look much further than his director would allow.Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
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
-
That will likely result in those protections disintegrating, Meyer said.J.J. McCorvey, NBC News, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Thesaurus Entries Near festering
Cite this Entry
“Festering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festering. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share