DECOMPOSING Synonyms: 107 Similar and Opposite Words

decomposing 1 of 2

adjective

as in decomposed

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decomposing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of decompose

as in rotting

to go through decomposition detectives needed to know how long it would take a corpse to decompose to that advanced state

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of decomposing

Verb

But the last inspection was in October, 10 months before dozens of decomposing bodies were found at the South Chicago Chapel funeral home. — Megan De Mar, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026 And just over a year after that, the Morgans landed back in the news after authorities found 56 decomposing corpses inside another one of their businesses, South Deering’s South Chicago Chapel. — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026 Other microbes recycle nutrients by decomposing dead plants and animals, fix atmospheric nitrogen into forms that plants can use, and form essential partnerships with roots, insects, and other organisms. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026 Food waste decomposing in landfills emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas that warms the planet. — ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026 Earlier this year, two Colorado funeral home co-directors were sentenced to decades in prison for a scheme that involved hiding 200 decomposing bodies. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 The case dates to March 11, 2022, when police in the Central Valley city of Merced found the girl’s decomposing body in the basement bathroom of a house. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026 Authorities said the remains included bones believed to belong to four newborns and the decomposing body of a fifth. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026 Ament revisited his archive of decomposing negatives with his brother, designer Barry Ament, a few years ago. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for decomposing

Adjective

Two decomposed bodies have been found within five days at a park in western North Carolina, and both cases are classified as murders, according to investigators.

— Mark Price July 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 July 2026
At a time when the Earth was bare, when there were no vertebrates, no trees, no leaves, no flowering plants, and no plants with seeds, millipedes were feeding on decaying mosses, decomposed slime, and primordial gunk.

— Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026

Definition of decomposed

Verb

Its paint was peeling, clapboards were rotting, and a tarp covered a leaking roof, according to the Times.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Those ailing leaves can be a sign of deeper problems such as rotting roots or a bug infestation, though sometimes, a yellowing leaf is just part of a monstera’s natural aging process.

— Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of rotting

Adjective

Liberal critics, however, argued—also rightly—that the Soviet Union was a decaying, economically crippled giant by the time Reagan was inaugurated.

— Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
The district also could be in for other major changes in the coming years, including the opening of a few new schools to replace multiple decaying, underenrolled schools.

— Scott Travis, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026

Definition of decaying

Verb

With all the rain from storms recently, our streets and roads are disintegrating faster.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
In just four years, Keegan had spurred a disintegrating club into a united entity known for its energy and style, cherished as the ‘Entertainers’.

— Michael Walker, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of disintegrating

Adjective

The soil should be moist, faintly acid smelling, from its infusion of decayed compost.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
Rossi treated the paint surface, meanwhile, by removing oxidized varnish, decayed retouching, and incoherent integrations and additions, allowing viewers to appreciate the luminosity of Fra Angelico’s palette and the precision of his gilding.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of decayed

Adjective

People are throwing out spoiled food and lining up for hot meals, according to reports, while searching for laundromats, working Wi-Fi, cleaning wipes and diapers.

— Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
Fridge smells often come from spoiled food and mildew, which can be tackled with vinegar and baking soda.

— The Spruce, The Spruce, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of spoiled

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“Decomposing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decomposing. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of decomposing

adjective

verb

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