ENGLISH
REFERENCE

rotten

adj. · adv.
US //ˈɹɑtən// UK //ɹˈɒtən// rot·ten
  1. 1 decayed food (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate

    decayed and no longer good to eat or use.

    suffering from organic decay; decomposed or putrid.

    Example

    The smell of rotten eggs filled the kitchen after the power cut.

    Example

    The farmer had to discard the entire harvest of apples after a damp autumn left them rotten and covered in mould.
  2. 2 bad or unpleasant (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    very bad, unpleasant, or unfair.

    extremely unpleasant, poor in quality, or morally contemptible.

    Example

    I felt rotten about missing my best friend's birthday party.

    Example

    It was a rotten trick to play on someone who had been so consistently helpful to the team.
Show 2 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 very drunk (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Slang British English

    extremely drunk.

    highly intoxicated by alcohol.

    Example

    He came home feeling absolutely rotten after the office party.

    Example

    By the time the pub closed, half the rugby team were completely rotten and had to be helped into taxis.
  2. 4 to an extreme degree (adv.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    very much or to a great degree, usually with words like 'spoiled'.

    used as an intensifier to indicate an extreme or excessive degree.

    Example

    That cat is spoiled rotten and refuses to eat anything but fresh fish.

    Example

    As the only grandchild in the family, she was spoiled rotten by her grandparents every summer holiday.

    Usage

    Almost exclusively used in the fixed phrase 'spoiled rotten'.
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).

Idioms5 entries

© 2026 English Reference