as in rotting
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as in decomposing
to go through decomposition
we traced the bad smell to a dead skunk putrefying under the house
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Recent Examples of putrefying
Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
Verb
Because lose-lose situations are so endemic to the genre, a hint of relief can sometimes accompany the prospect of surrender to the putrefying mob.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putrefying
Verb
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Inside the bag was a woman’s partially skeletonized decomposing torso, with the head, arms and legs missing.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
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Weed seeds land in decomposing mulch and find a foothold.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This putrescent combination of sky-high home prices, rising mortgage rates and stifling consumer inflation have forced all but the wealthiest or most determined buyers out of a new home.—
Q.ai - Powering a Personal Wealth Movement,
Forbes,
17 Aug. 2022
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The most common are oils (cinnamon, clove, thyme, garlic, etc.), putrescent whole egg solids, dried blood, etc.—
Kym Pokorny,
OregonLive.com,
17 Apr. 2018
Verb
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When Corms Don't Sprout If your corms haven’t sprouted after two weeks, there could be several reasons for this, such as rotting due to overwatering, insufficient warmth and humidity, or the corms being too dry.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
13 Mar. 2026
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But different types of seeds have different germination and growth rates (aka ‘days to harvest’), and timing this against your area’s last frost date is your secret weapon against leggy tomato seedlings that still can’t go outside, or pea seeds rotting in cold, wet soil.—
Marianne Willburn,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That lurid fable was followed by 2023’s Pictures of Ghosts, an impressionistic documentary that told the parallel stories of Mendonça Filho’s life in movies and Recife’s decaying cinemas.—
Michael Snyder,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
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The series doesn’t shyaway from the gory intricacies of death, including decaying cadavers and the detailed autopsies Kay performs.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The inspector found some moldy carrots in the refrigerator and a roach in the restroom.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Mar. 2026
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Fill a spray bottle with half water and half vinegar, then spray moldy areas.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Watched behind his closed eyelids the eruption of strange visual forms, shapes of light blooming and disintegrating, blue green and yellow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
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Is there also a whiff of nostalgia in the slow movement, for a world disintegrating in brutality?—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Inspectors found widespread water intrusion, corroded piping and deteriorating concrete throughout City Hall and its two-level underground garage.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Feb. 2026
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Frail elderly women, swathed in headscarves and saris, worshipped while sitting on puddled pavement near corroded metal changing lockers plastered with ads for Glow & Lovely skin cream.—
Norma Meyer,
Oc Register,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Putrefying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putrefying. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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