as in decomposition
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances
clearing the refrigerator of what the previous tenant had left behind was like taking a course in the advanced putrefaction of leftovers
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Recent Examples of putrefaction
When the surgeons finally opened her with a piece of broken glass, the putrefaction was as warm as life.
—
Nell Zink, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
Kellogg’s thinking on constipation, that anything less than three bowel movements a day risked dangerous intestinal putrefaction, was shaped by the emerging germ theory of disease and the ascent of bacteriology as a discipline through the closing decades of the 19th century.
—Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024
Here was an artist drawn irresistibly to executions and corpses, dismemberment and putrefaction.
—airmail.news, 20 Apr. 2024
Not the smell of putrefaction, though the novel is littered with rotting corpses.
—Nathaniel Rich, The New York Review of Books, 30 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for putrefaction
Nell Zink, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
Kellogg’s thinking on constipation, that anything less than three bowel movements a day risked dangerous intestinal putrefaction, was shaped by the emerging germ theory of disease and the ascent of bacteriology as a discipline through the closing decades of the 19th century.
—Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024
Here was an artist drawn irresistibly to executions and corpses, dismemberment and putrefaction.
—airmail.news, 20 Apr. 2024
Not the smell of putrefaction, though the novel is littered with rotting corpses.
—Nathaniel Rich, The New York Review of Books, 30 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for putrefaction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putrefaction
Noun
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The system begins by preprocessing battery data using a technique called complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
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In addition, warmer water temperatures and the decomposition of organic material can promote bacterial growth.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Samples returned during the Apollo missions have linked this to higher concentrations of heat-producing radioactive elements such as thorium, whose decay likely fueled ancient volcanic eruptions, while much of the rest of the moon remained comparatively cooler.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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Film negatives deteriorate through humidity, chemical decay and physical damage, and without timely intervention, important works risk being lost entirely.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Putrefaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putrefaction. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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