Synonyms of festering

festering 1 of 3

noun

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

• decomposition
• decay
• rot
• fermentation
• putrefaction
• corruption
• spoilage
• putrescence
• breakdown
• crumbling
• disintegration
• moldering
• dissolution
• souring
• curdling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• growth
• maturation
• ripening

festering

2 of 3

verb

present participle of fester

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

• rotting
• decomposing
• decaying
• disintegrating
• moldering
• putrefying
• corrupting
• spoiling
• deteriorating
• molding
• crumbling
• perishing
• falling apart
• fouling
• descending
• running to seed
• contaminating
• polluting
• turning
• rusting
• breaking down
• fermenting
• going to seed
• tainting
• defiling
• souring
• degenerating
• mortifying
• curdling
• sinking
• turning off
• withering
• declining
• addling
• dilapidating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• growing
• developing
• aging
• maturing
• ripening
• ageing
• restoring
• renewing
• cleansing
• refreshing
• purifying
• improving
• integrating
• composing
• assembling
• ameliorating
• bettering
• meliorating

festering

3 of 3

adjective

as in bleeding

Related Words

• bleeding
• burning
• nagging
• stinging
• pernicious
• chafing
• noxious
• damaging
• raw
• detrimental
• inflamed
• swollen
• harmful
• cramping
• tender
• injurious
• deleterious
• smarting
• prickling
• itching
• hurtful
• pricking
• agonizing
• pinching
• enflamed
• aching
• threatening
• torturous
• painful
• excruciating
• severe
• sore
• hurting
• grievous
• wounding
• nasty
• achy
• afflictive

Dissimilar Words

• helping
• healing
• remedial
• indolent
• curative
• painless

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of festering

Noun

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

Verb

Instead, what has become a festering problem for the Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder came up yet again. —Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025

Is corruption festering in the apparently homogeneous suburb? —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025

Adjective

That nascent friendship was, however, shattered by the 1962 Sino-Indian War, a brief but brutal conflict that established a legacy of deep mistrust and an unresolved border dispute that remains the relationship’s festering wound. —Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2025

Now a Congressman, state officials, and families are demanding accountability and bringing legal actions, saying that Roblox has allowed its platform to become a festering hub for horrific child exploitation. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2025

As buyers remained wary of sky-high prices, unbudging mortgage rates and festering economic uncertainty, the typical home sold last month spent 43 days on the market—the longest span for any July since 2015—before buyer and seller closed a deal on it, according to the real estate brokerage Redfin. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025

Cortez Masto’s clash with Booker during Police Week offered a rare public window into those festering strategic disputes. —Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2025