First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
1rotten
adjective rot·ten \ˈrä-tən\
: having rotted or decayed and no longer able to be used, eaten, etc.
: very bad or unpleasant
: not well or healthy
Full Definition of ROTTEN
2
: morally corrupt
3
: extremely unpleasant or inferior <a rotten day> <a rotten job>
4
: very uncomfortable <feeling rotten>
5
: of very poor quality : lousy, abominable <a rotten show> <what rotten luck>
— rot·ten·ly adverb
— rot·ten·ness \-tən-(n)əs\ noun
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Origin of ROTTEN
Middle English roten, from Old Norse rotinn; akin to Old English rotian to rot
Related to ROTTEN
- Antonyms
- undecomposed
Other Biology Terms
2rotten
adverb
: very badly or poorly
: very much
Full Definition of ROTTEN
: to an extreme degree <spoiled rotten>
See rotten defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of ROTTEN
1880
Rhymes with ROTTEN
ROTTENLY Defined for Kids
rotten
adjective rot·ten \ˈrä-tən\
Definition of ROTTEN for Kids
1
: having rotted <rotten wood>
2
: morally bad
3
: of poor quality <They did a rotten job.>
4
: very unpleasant <… being a teenager is pretty rotten—between pimples and worrying about how you smell! — Judy Blume, Are You There God?>
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