putrefied 1 of 2

adjective

as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown we had to throw out the putrefied tomatoes that had been sitting on the counter all week

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putrefied

2 of 2

verb

past tense of putrefy
as in decomposed
to go through decomposition we traced the bad smell to a dead skunk putrefying under the house

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Example 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 putrefied
Adjective
They’re formulated to smell like things rabbits detest, like blood or putrefied eggs. — Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 31 July 2026 Since some Indigenous tribes from the Arctic and subarctic are known to eat maggots from putrefied meat, the researchers considered maggots a potential factor driving those isotope spikes. — Jay Kakade december 31, New Atlas, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putrefied
  1. rotten
  2. decomposed
  3. decayed
  4. rotted
  5. spoiled
  6. disintegrated
Adjective
  • The meeting comes after Lineage Logistics, which operates the 500,000-square-foot facility, has already been cited by AQMD officials for the rotten odor.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The veal barn had a smell Birdie had never smelled anywhere else—antiseptic, then sweet like a flower and rotten like manure.
    — Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of rotten
Verb
  • The victim was so badly decomposed, the medical examiner couldn’t even estimate her age or ethnicity.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Its recruit and redeploy stages require roles decomposed into explicit tasks—making what AI can augment answerable task by task.
    — Manu Khetan, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of decomposed
Adjective
  • Rossi treated the paint surface, meanwhile, by removing oxidized varnish, decayed retouching, and incoherent integrations and additions, allowing viewers to appreciate the luminosity of Fra Angelico’s palette and the precision of his gilding.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Discard any that look dead or decayed.
    — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of decayed
Verb
  • The missing 14-year-old’s body rotted for weeks until it was found in the trunk of a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard last September, severed at the limbs and stuffed into black plastic bags, according to medical examiner’s records and court filings.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • While the timber has long since rotted away, the posts lined up to point directly at the rising sun during the summer solstice and the setting sun at the winter solstice — in the same way as Stonehenge.
    — Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 18 June 2026
Definition of rotted
Adjective
  • Lineage has also been cited by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health for rodent and pest control violations, which became an issue in the early days of the cleanup as they were attracted by the spoiled food.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Workers have cleared out and sanitized the eastern freezer, which was largely destroyed in the fire and filled with spoiled food and charred debris.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of spoiled
Verb
  • Then, the entire Soviet Union disintegrated, with all 15 republics breaking away, but in a peaceful process that Gorbachev hoped would lead to the creation of new democracies across Europe and Asia.
    — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • It was revealed that the NFL quarterback’s relationship with the family had disintegrated over the years.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of disintegrated

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putrefaction
putrefied
putrefies
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Cite this Entry

“Putrefied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putrefied. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of putrefied for Spanish Speakers

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