Meanings
plural rottennesses
- countableuncountableThe quality of being rotten.
The track was further weakened by the too wide spacing of the sleepers, most of which "were in the last stage of rottenness."
1946 July and August, “The Royston Accident, G.N.R., July 3, 1866”, in Railway Magazine, pages 216, 2191 more example
Slowly Matilda sat down. Oh, the rottenness of it all! The unfairness! How dare they expel her for something she hadn't done!
1988, Roald Dahl, MatildaSynonyms: rottedness
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe quality of being rotten.
More synonyms by meaning
nounin a state of progressive putrefaction
nounthe quality of rotting and becoming putrid
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishrotennesse
- Englishrottenness
From Middle English rotennesse; equivalent to rotten + -ness.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan podridura
- podridurathe quality of being rotten
French pourriture
- pourriturethe quality of being rotten
German Fäulnis
- Fäulnisthe quality of being rotten
Portuguese podridão
- podridãothe quality of being rotten
Spanish podredumbre
- podredumbrethe quality of being rotten
Swedish ruttenhet
- ruttenhetthe quality of being rotten
Cite this entry
rottenness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rottenness
“rottenness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rottenness. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rottenness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rottenness.
Source: rottenness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.