English Explanatory Dictionary

rotten

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj

Of perishable items, overridden with bacteria and other infectious agents.
In a state of decay.
Cruel, mean or immoral.
Bad or terrible.
Of stone or rock, crumbling or friable; in a loose or disintegrated state.
Very drunk, intoxicated.

adv

To an extreme degree.

Pronunciation

/ˈɹɒtn̩/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-rotten.wav /ˈɹɑtn̩/ [ˈɹɑʔn̩]

Word forms

rotten rottener more rotten rottenest most rotten

Etymology

From Middle English roten, from Old Norse rotinn (“decayed, rotten”), past participle of an unrecorded verb related to Old Norse rotna (“to rot”) and Old English rotian (“to rot”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rutāną (“to rot”). See rot. By surface analysis, rot + -en (past participle).

Synonyms

bad gone bad gone off maggoted rotten spoiled blighted forworn putrid cankered decayed dotterel moldering putrefacient putrefactive putrescent fell malicious ruthless barbarous bowelless brutal compassionless cruel demonic despiteful diabolic diabolical incessive inclement inhuman inhumane merciless nasty nonhumane pitiless remorseless sadistic savage spiteful truculent unbenevolent unbenign unkind unmerciful unpitiful unpitying awful foul horrible abysmal atrocious chronic coarse corny crap crapalicious crappy crummy deityforsaken

Antonyms

edible fresh unspoiled

Related words

saprogenic fermented passed something's sell-by date stale

Derived words

Rosie Rottencrotch rotten apple rotten borough rottened rotten egg rotten egg gas rottenish rottenly rottenness rottenstone rotten stone rotten to the core rotten wood something is rotten in the state of Denmark spoiled rotten spoil somebody rotten spoil someone rotten Susie Rottencrotch unrotten Your Rottenness

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.

Back to search All on R Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary