Word
rotten
Phoneticsrot·ten, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɹɑtən/
UK/ɹˈɒtən/
Definitions
01decayed food
B1 · Intermediate
adj. decayed and no longer good to eat or use.
adj. suffering from organic decay; decomposed or putrid.
“The smell of rotten eggs filled the kitchen after the power cut.”
“The farmer had to discard the entire harvest of apples after a damp autumn left them rotten and covered in mould.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
02bad or unpleasant
B1 · Intermediate Informal
adj. very bad, unpleasant, or unfair.
adj. extremely unpleasant, poor in quality, or morally contemptible.
“I felt rotten about missing my best friend's birthday party.”
“It was a rotten trick to play on someone who had been so consistently helpful to the team.”
03very drunk
C1 · Advanced Slang · British English
adj. extremely drunk.
adj. highly intoxicated by alcohol.
“He came home feeling absolutely rotten after the office party.”
“By the time the pub closed, half the rugby team were completely rotten and had to be helped into taxis.”
Antonyms
04to an extreme degree
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal
adv. very much or to a great degree, usually with words like 'spoiled'.
adv. used as an intensifier to indicate an extreme or excessive degree.
“That cat is spoiled rotten and refuses to eat anything but fresh fish.”
“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'.
Synonyms
Etymology
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).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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