rotten apple

noun

A bad person, especially one who has a corrupting influence on others.

“Near-synonym: bad egg”

Similar
bad applebad seedbad egg
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Meanings

nounrotten apple (plural rotten apples)

plural rotten apples

  1. idiomaticA bad person, especially one who has a corrupting influence on others.

    Near-synonym: bad egg

    Synonyms: bad apple, bad seed, bad egg

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA bad person, especially one who has a corrupting influence on others.

Similar
bad applebad seedbad egg
Also see
bad applebad news

Translations

Bulgarian гнила ябълка
  • гнила ябълка (gnila jabălka)bad person with a corrupting influence
Cite this entry
APA

rotten apple. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rotten%20apple

MLA

“rotten apple.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rotten%20apple. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rotten apple,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rotten%20apple.

Source: rotten apple on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.