Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Rotten borough

//ˌɹɒtn̩ ˈbʌɹə// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A parliamentary borough that was represented in Parliament although the number of voters had diminished so greatly that they were largely controlled by the main landowner; such boroughs were abolished in the 19th century. UK, historical

    "[…] Queen's Crawley was no longer so populous a place as it had been in Queen Bess's time—nay, was come down to that condition of borough which used to be denominated rotten–yet, as Sir Pitt Crawley would say with perfect justice in his elegant way, "Rotten! be hanged—it produces me a good fifteen hundred a year.""

  2. 2
    an English parliamentary constituency with few electors wordnet
  3. 3
    A parliamentary constituency or electoral district in a similar situation. UK, broadly

Etymology

From rotten (“in a state of decay”) + borough (“type of administrative district”), because such boroughs were regarded as having “decayed” due to their voters moving away to other places.

See also for "rotten borough"

Synonyms Antonyms Rhymes Sentences Translate Word Type Pronunciation Word Forms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciation

Mini challenge

Want a quick game? Try Word Finder.