as in decomposed
to go through decomposition
a week after the battle the corpses of the fallen were still festering in the fields
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Recent Examples of festered
As the police department’s ranks shrank, crime festered, both aboveground and below.
—
Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
The bad blood that had festered between the two competitors came to a boiling point.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
For years, this debate between stricter codes and affordable housing festered behind the scenes, including at the obscure International Code Council, which brings together government officials, contractors, appliance makers and others to lay the groundwork for model codes.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
The controversy stretches back years, but festered under ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was in office from 2018-2024.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Here, according to the MAGA universe, festered the deep state.
—David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
And, yet, concerns festered all the same.
—Noah Furtado, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Feb. 2026
The bad blood festered for months.
—Chris McKenna, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Internal tension about direction and leadership succession festered within the firm.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
The bad blood that had festered between the two competitors came to a boiling point.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
For years, this debate between stricter codes and affordable housing festered behind the scenes, including at the obscure International Code Council, which brings together government officials, contractors, appliance makers and others to lay the groundwork for model codes.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
The controversy stretches back years, but festered under ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was in office from 2018-2024.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Here, according to the MAGA universe, festered the deep state.
—David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
And, yet, concerns festered all the same.
—Noah Furtado, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Feb. 2026
The bad blood festered for months.
—Chris McKenna, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Internal tension about direction and leadership succession festered within the firm.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festered
Verb
-
Prosecutor Cheryl Galvin disagreed, saying that while the body had decomposed, the medical examiner was still able to conclude Chiodo died by homicide due to blunt force and sharp force injuries.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
-
Compost is decomposed organic matter, created when microorganisms break down plant materials, food scraps, leaves, manure, and other organic inputs.—
Rae Ford,
Martha Stewart,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Any potential scoring opportunity in the fifth inning disintegrated after Dalton Rushing’s leadoff walk.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
-
Blaine is disintegrated, while Sam is clearly changed.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
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
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The storm hit Jamaica on August 12, splintering three hundred homes, and 90 percent of banana crops rotted to black in the post-storm humidity.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The satellite's orbit has decayed from an initial 373 miles (600 kilometers) to about 249 miles (400 km), but NASA wants to save it by using LINK to boost it back up to a healthy orbit.—
Brett Tingley,
Space.com,
12 June 2026
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But since sitting vacant, the property has decayed and listed in city property records as unoccupiable.—
Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez,
Charlotte Observer,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Festered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festered. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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