I smell something rotten.
Source: tatoeba (25034)
Rotten
/ˈɹɒtn̩/
Synonyms for "rotten" (339 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (68)
Strong matches (102)
disagreeabledisgustingdishonestdishonorabledisintegratingdispleasingdissatisfactorydissolutedoubtfuldreadfuldubiousegregiousenormousevasiveevilfecalfeculentfeloniousfesteringfetid
Show 72 more words
filthyfishyflagitiousflagrantflyblownfoulfraudulentfriablefrowstyfrowyfrowzyfulsomefunkyfustygamygangrenedgangrenousgloppygone badgraveolentgrievousgrimgrossgunkyhatefulheinoushideoushighhorrendoushorriblehorridhorrifichorrifyingickyillill-gotill-gottenill-smellingimmoralimpureindirectinfamousinfirminiquitousinsidiouslamentableloathsomelousylowlow-downmaggotymalodorousmawkishmeanmephiticmiasmalmiasmicmildewedmildewymiserablemoldymonstrousmorally pollutedmortifiedmouldymuckymustynastynauseantnauseatednauseatingnauseous
Adjective(3 words)
Related words (169)
necrosednecroticnefariousnidorousnoisomenot koshernotoriousnoxiousobnoxiousodiousodorousoffoffensiveolidordurousoutrageousoverripepeccantperverseperverted
Show 132 more words
pitiablepitifulpoisonouspollutedpoorpoorishpoorlyprofligatepukypunkputrefiedputrescentputridquestionablerancidrankreastyreasyrebarbativereechyreekingreekyregrettablereprehensiblereprobaterepulsiverevoltingropyrotten atrottingroughsadscabbyscandalousschlockscrew upscummyscurfyscurvyseamyshabbyshadyshamefulshamelessshiftyshittyshockingshoddysicksickeningsinisterslabbyslimyslipperysloppysloshysludgyslushysmellfulsmellingsmellysordidsoursouredsphacelatedspoiledspoiltsposhysqualidstalesteeped in iniquitystenchystinkingstrongstuffysulfuroussuppuratingsuppurativesuspicioustaintedterribletoo badtouchedtragictrickyturneduglyulcerateduncleanunconsciencedunconscientiousunconscionableunderhandunderhandedunethicalunfirmunhappyunhealthyunpleasantunprincipledunsatisfactoryunsavoryunscrupulousunsolidunsoundunspeakableunstableunstraightforwardunsturdyunsubstantialunwellupvenalvice-corruptedviciousvilevillainousvitiatedvomitywarpedweevilywickedwithout remorsewithout shamewoefulwormyworstworthlesswretchedwrongyecchyyucky
Adjective(14 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Noun(2 words)
spoiled foodspoiling
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: decayed, abandoned, abominable, amiss, amoral.
- Sentence evidence is available for rotten, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, wiktionary, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "rotten".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "rotten"
Keep "rotten" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "rotten" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "rotten", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "rotten" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
6 entriesMore specific
10 entriesawfullyextremelyincrediblymoral corruptionmoral depravityrotten fruitrotten meatrotten productrotten workmanshipterribly
Collocations
8 entriesrotten applerotten dealrotten eggrotten fruitrotten luckrotten meatrotten tomatoesrotten weather
Inflections
2 entriesmore rottenmost rotten
Derivations
1 entriessimilar
3 entriesTranslations
148 translations across 91 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- gevrot adj (decayed, gone bad)
Albanian
2 entries- kalbur adj (decayed, gone bad)
- prishur adj (decayed, gone bad)
Amharic
1 entries- የገማ adj (decayed, gone bad)
Ancient Greek
1 entries- σαπρός adj (decayed, gone bad)
Arabic
1 entries- فَاسِد adj (decayed, gone bad)
Armenian
1 entries- փտած adj (decayed, gone bad)
Aromanian
1 entries- putrid adj (decayed, gone bad)
Azerbaijani
2 entries- çürük adj (decayed, gone bad)
- çürümüş adj (decayed, gone bad)
Bashkir
1 entries- серек adj (decayed, gone bad)
Basque
1 entries- ustel adj (decayed, gone bad)
Belarusian
1 entries- гнілы́ adj (decayed, gone bad)
Bikol Central
1 entries- lapa adj (decayed, gone bad)
Bulgarian
1 entries- гнил adj (decayed, gone bad)
Burmese
1 entries- ပုပ် adj (decayed, gone bad)
Carpathian Rusyn
1 entries- гнилый adj (decayed, gone bad)
Catalan
1 entries- podrit adj (decayed, gone bad)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 腐朽 adj (decayed, gone bad)
- 腐爛 /腐烂 adj (decayed, gone bad)
Cimbrian
1 entries- damaal adj (decayed, gone bad)
Cornish
3 entries- breyn adj (decayed, gone bad)
- poder adj (decayed, gone bad)
- podrek adj (decayed, gone bad)
Crimean Tatar
1 entries- çürük adj (decayed, gone bad)
Czech
1 entries- shnilý adj (decayed, gone bad)
Dalmatian
1 entries- muas adj (decayed, gone bad)
Danish
1 entries- rådden adj (decayed, gone bad)
Dutch
2 entries- rot adj (decayed, gone bad)
- verrot adj (decayed, gone bad)
Eastern Mari
1 entries- шӱйшӧ adj (decayed, gone bad)
Erzya
1 entries- наксадо adj (decayed, gone bad)
Esperanto
1 entries- putra adj (decayed, gone bad)
Faroese
1 entries- rotin adj (decayed, gone bad)
Finnish
3 entries- laho adj (decayed, gone bad)
- mädäntynyt adj (decayed, gone bad)
- mätä adj (decayed, gone bad)
French
1 entries- pourri adj (decayed, gone bad)
Friulian
2 entries- fraid adj (decayed, gone bad)
- frait adj (decayed, gone bad)
Galician
1 entries- podre adj (decayed, gone bad)
German
4 entries- faul adj (decayed, gone bad)
- faulig adj (decayed, gone bad)
- gammelig adj (decayed, gone bad)
- kariös adj (decayed, gone bad)
Greek
2 entries- σάπιος adj (decayed, gone bad)
- σαθρός adj (decayed, gone bad)
Hindi
1 entries- सड़ा adj (decayed, gone bad)
Hungarian
1 entries- rohadt adj (decayed, gone bad)
Hunsrik
1 entries- faul adj (decayed, gone bad)
Ido
1 entries- putrinta adj (decayed, gone bad)
Indonesian
1 entries- busuk adj (decayed, gone bad)
Ingrian
3 entries- laho adj (decayed, gone bad)
- lahokas adj (decayed, gone bad)
- mätä adj (decayed, gone bad)
Irish
1 entries- lofa adj (decayed, gone bad)
Italian
2 entries- marcio adj (decayed, gone bad)
- marcito adj (decayed, gone bad)
Japanese
2 entries- 腐った adj (decayed, gone bad)
- 腐朽した adj (decayed, gone bad)
Kabuverdianu
1 entries- podri adj (decayed, gone bad)
Kazakh
1 entries- шірік adj (decayed, gone bad)
Khmer
3 entries- រលួយ adj (decayed, gone bad)
- រអៀច adj (decayed, gone bad)
- ស្អុយ adj (decayed, gone bad)
Komi-Zyrian
1 entries- сісь adj (decayed, gone bad)
Korean
1 entries- 썩다 adj (decayed, gone bad)
Latin
3 entries- cariōsus adj (decayed, gone bad)
- puter adj (decayed, gone bad)
- putris adj (decayed, gone bad)
Latvian
1 entries- sapuvis adj (decayed, gone bad)
Low German
2 entries- fuul adj (decayed, gone bad)
- verfuult adj (decayed, gone bad)
Lower Sorbian
1 entries- zgnity adj (decayed, gone bad)
Macedonian
2 entries- гнил adj (decayed, gone bad)
- трул adj (decayed, gone bad)
Malayalam
2 entries- അളിഞ്ഞ adj (decayed, gone bad)
- ചീഞ്ഞ adj (decayed, gone bad)
Mansaka
2 entries- baog adj (decayed, gone bad)
- gabok adj (decayed, gone bad)
Marathi
3 entries- सडलेला adj (decayed, gone bad)
- सडलेली adj (decayed, gone bad)
- सडलेले adj (decayed, gone bad)
Moksha
1 entries- наксада adj (decayed, gone bad)
Māori
4 entries- hakuhaku adj (decayed, gone bad)
- manumanu adj (decayed, gone bad)
- manumanuā adj (decayed, gone bad)
- pipirau adj (decayed, gone bad)
Navajo
1 entries- dláád adj (decayed, gone bad)
Occitan
1 entries- poirit adj (decayed, gone bad)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- چوروك adj (decayed, gone bad)
Papiamentu
1 entries- putri adj (decayed, gone bad)
Persian
1 entries- پوسیده adj (decayed, gone bad)
Plautdietsch
3 entries- frosich adj (decayed, gone bad)
- ful adj (decayed, gone bad)
- morsch adj (decayed, gone bad)
Polish
2 entries- zepsuty adj (decayed, gone bad)
- zgniły adj (decayed, gone bad)
Portuguese
1 entries- podre adj (decayed, gone bad)
Quechua
1 entries- ismu adj (decayed, gone bad)
Rapa Nui
1 entries- piro adj (decayed, gone bad)
Romanian
2 entries- putred adj (decayed, gone bad)
- putregăios adj (decayed, gone bad)
Russian
2 entries- гнило́й adj (decayed, gone bad)
- ту́хлый adj (decayed, gone bad)
Sardinian
2 entries- fracicu adj (decayed, gone bad)
- prudicu adj (decayed, gone bad)
Scottish Gaelic
2 entries- grod adj (decayed, gone bad)
- lobhte adj (decayed, gone bad)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- gnjȉo adj (decayed, gone bad)
- trȕo adj (decayed, gone bad)
- гњио adj (decayed, gone bad)
- труо adj (decayed, gone bad)
Slovak
2 entries- hnilý adj (decayed, gone bad)
- zhnitý adj (decayed, gone bad)
Slovene
1 entries- gnil adj (decayed, gone bad)
Spanish
4 entries- carcomido adj (decayed, gone bad)
- dañado adj (decayed, gone bad)
- estropeado adj (decayed, gone bad)
- podrido adj (decayed, gone bad)
Sundanese
1 entries- buruk adj (decayed, gone bad)
Swedish
1 entries- rutten adj (decayed, gone bad)
Tajik
1 entries- пӯсида adj (decayed, gone bad)
Telugu
1 entries- చెడిపోయిన adj (decayed, gone bad)
Tetum
1 entries- dodok adj (decayed, gone bad)
Thai
1 entries- เน่า adj (decayed, gone bad)
Turkish
2 entries- bozuk adj (decayed, gone bad)
- çürük adj (decayed, gone bad)
Udmurt
1 entries- сись adj (decayed, gone bad)
Ukrainian
1 entries- гнили́й adj (decayed, gone bad)
Vietnamese
2 entries- mục adj (decayed, gone bad)
- rữa adj (decayed, gone bad)
Warlpiri
1 entries- puka adj (decayed, gone bad)
Welsh
3 entries- braen adj (decayed, gone bad)
- madreddog adj (decayed, gone bad)
- pwdr adj (decayed, gone bad)
Western Mari
1 entries- шӱшӹ adj (decayed, gone bad)
Yiddish
1 entries- פֿאַרפֿוילט adj (decayed, gone bad)
Zealandic
2 entries- rot adj (decayed, gone bad)
- vrot adj (decayed, gone bad)
Sample sentences
26 total sentences available.
I bought it thinking it was cheap, but it was rotten, so I ended up losing out.
Source: tatoeba (28503)
Half of the apples are rotten.
Source: tatoeba (29627)
Quite a lot of rotten apples were in the basket.
Source: tatoeba (35412)
Showing 4 of 26 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "rotten"?
Closest matches include decayed, abandoned, abominable, amiss, amoral.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "rotten"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.