1
as in degenerate
having lost forcefulness, courage, or spirit
a candidate who vehemently rejects the idea that liberalism is a decayed political philosophy
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Relevance
2
as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown
we routinely throw all decayed or unwanted organic matter into our compost heap
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in decomposed
to go through decomposition
the logs decayed on the rain forest floor the atom of plutonium decayed in the test chamber
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2
as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
the restaurant's standards for food and service had decayed over the years
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3
as in faded
to lose bodily strength or vigor
having reached her 80s, the woman could sense that her body was decaying
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decayed
Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Aug. 2025
The breakthrough came when researchers focused on coelomic fluid, the internal liquid surrounding the sea stars’ organs, rather than tissue from decayed specimens.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2025
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Dec. 2025
The color comes from the water soaking in peat, partially decayed plant matter that can be hundreds of years old.
—Sheeka Sanahori, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
The lawsuit states that the branch fell from a tree that was clearly unhealthy, decayed and had deadwood.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2025
The leather on the shoes appears to be slightly decayed, worn, cracked and brittle, while the laces and midsole are stained, giving a distressed, lived-in effect.
—Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
In due course of time, the organic material decayed, and the skeleton underneath fossilized over longer timescales.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
In other words, the original skin inside the clay layer must have decayed and washed away, while the same groundwater saturated the bones en route to their fossilization.
—Paul C. Sereno, The Conversation, 24 Oct. 2025
Then, weeks after they were buried, the soft parts of the carcasses decayed and were washed away by groundwater, leaving the clay mask to forever preserve the forms of what lay just beneath, Sereno says.
—Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2025
An early form of one type of energy that decayed into another?
—Big Think, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Of the 20 dead cats, eight were too decayed for a necropsy exam, which determines the cause of death of a dead animal and any associated diseases or injuries.
—Verb
When excavations first began in the mid-1700s, everything beneath the ash layer was still preserved — but the top floors had decayed and disappeared.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for decayed
Adjective
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All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave director Edward Berger is exploring another chill, very normal setting with a somewhat surreal thriller starring Colin Farrell as a degenerate gambler who is making a last-ditch effort to get out of the mountain of debt he’s made for himself.—
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In the quiet of the Sabbath morning when all the neighborhood was wrapped in slumber, some dastardly degenerate crept into the room, choked her to death, assaulted her criminally and left her bruised and bleeding body lying on the bed.—
Adjective
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In a city in which the house always wins — and so many others lose and lose — the Raiders’ rotten run of futility is getting old.—
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Learn how to banish that rotten egg smell from your washer while keeping it fresh, clean, and odor-free.—
Verb
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The first was that the obstacles were decomposed into cuboids.—
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Rivas’ cause and manner of death are still being determined by the medical examiner; the exam is taking longer than usual as the remains were severely decomposed.—
Verb
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At the time, Denver’s Landmark Preservation office told the Denver Gazette that the old neon was too deteriorated to restore.—
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The already-frosty relationship between Devers and the front office deteriorated to an irreparable level in May, when Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury.—
Verb
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Once the flowers have faded, trim the stalks 1 to 2 inches above the bulb, retaining the green foliage.—
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The Lakers faded down the stretch to 27 points from the Spurs’ Keldon Johnson and 16 points and 14 rebounds by Victor Wembanyama.—
Adjective
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New orders contracted for a fourth month and export bookings remained weak, based on the ISM data.—
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Getting too little of either can lead to weak, brittle bones, and too much can also cause problems (like kidney stones or nausea).—
Adjective
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What to Do With Overripe Pears Not to worry if pears are soft but not spoiled.—
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The United Center cheers were nearly spoiled when Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy challenged the game-winner for an offside penalty.—
Verb
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That includes money to replace a lot of wood that rotted away due to holes in the roof and walls.—
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With the high humidity, most of the stock had rotted in a few days.—
Cite this Entry
“Decayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decayed. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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