Link Centre Dictionary

rotten

rot·ten

UK/ˈɹɒtn̩/ US/ˈɹɑtn̩/ common slang uk

adjective

1.

very bad

  • “a lousy play”
  • “it”
Synonyms
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2.

having rotted or disintegrated; usually implies foulness

  • “dead and rotten in his grave”
Antonyms
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3.

damaged by decay; hence unsound and useless

  • “rotten floor boards”
  • “rotted beams”
  • “a decayed foundation”
Synonyms
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Origin

From Middle English roten, from Old Norse rotinn (“decayed, rotten”), past participle of an unrecorded verb related to Old Norse rotna (“to rot”) and Old English rotian (“to rot”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rutāną (“to rot”). See rot. By surface analysis, rot + -en (past participle).

Phrases

  • Rosie Rottencrotch
  • rotten apple
  • rotten borough
  • rotten egg
  • rotten egg gas
  • rotten stone
  • rotten to the core
  • rotten wood

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.