rotten to the core

adjective

Completely rotten.

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Meanings

adjectiverotten to the core (not comparable)
  1. not comparableliteralCompletely rotten.
  2. figurativelynot comparablean organization; or a cultural phenomenon; an organization; or a cultural phenomenonCorrupt; evil; immoral.

    Ain't talkin' 'bout love / My love is rotten to the core / Ain't talkin' 'bout love / Just like I told you before.

    1978, Van Halen, "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love", Van Halen, reported in The Little Black Book of Metal Hits (2006), p. 6
Cite this entry
APA

rotten to the core. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rotten%20to%20the%20core

MLA

“rotten to the core.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rotten%20to%20the%20core. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rotten to the core,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rotten%20to%20the%20core.

Source: rotten to the core on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.