as in to rot
to go through decomposition
a week after the battle the corpses of the fallen were still festering in the fields
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fester
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024
Read: Fear of a Black hobbit What makes Claudine worth watching 50 years later is the way Jones’s seductiveness is given room to fester.
—K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2024
Mark Travers, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
Without regular in-person interactions, two key pitfalls tend to arise: Team members are less likely to voice concerns or confront inevitable grievances, which, if left unresolved, can fester and undermine teamwork.
—Carine Harb, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fester
Noun
However, before this cold war over property erupts, the film allows the shattering grief on either side to fester, allowing both factions to feel irrevocably human before things hit the fan.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024
Read: Fear of a Black hobbit What makes Claudine worth watching 50 years later is the way Jones’s seductiveness is given room to fester.
—K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2024
Verb
However, in weaker or more fragile relationships, this avoidance is often counterproductive, as unresolved issues can fester and cause further damage.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
Without regular in-person interactions, two key pitfalls tend to arise: Team members are less likely to voice concerns or confront inevitable grievances, which, if left unresolved, can fester and undermine teamwork.
—Carine Harb, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fester
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fester
Noun
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To reduce the chances of hypothermia, fans and players should recognize swelling, redness, tingling, blisters and numbness.—
Elias Burke,
The Athletic,
18 Feb. 2025
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The right pair of socks will keep your feet comfortable and dry for a full day of hiking while helping to prevent blisters and hotspots.—
Maggie Slepian,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Do not paint the wound with a pruning sealant; that can trap moisture in the wound and lead to rot.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2025
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Damaged sections can lead to rot and loss of the cuttings.—
Derek Carwood,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Add flour, beans and then stock and bring to a boil.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2025
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This is all coming to a boil as the world’s film industry heads to the German capital for the 75th Berlin International Film Festival.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Officers responding to reports of a dead woman discovered a decomposing body inside a shed at an apartment complex, Utah police and news outlets reported.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacramento Bee,
24 Feb. 2025
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Vultures not only consume dead animals that might otherwise remain out in the elements to decompose, according to the Wildlife Center of Virginia.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Victims develop high fevers, deep rashes and oozing pustules.—
William J. Broad,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2025
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Plants with orange rust, identified by orange pustules on the leaves, must be burned or disposed of in the trash.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Trust in information, identities and institutions is disintegrating, raising questions about their relevance in the future.—
Dan Yerushalmi,
Forbes,
18 Feb. 2025
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Archaeologists also found stone casings and nails, which suggests the children were once buried in wooden coffins that have disintegrated over time.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Best Amazon Presidents Day Sales on Fashion and Beauty Some of our teens’ favorite trendy styles are marked down right now, like these cozy Ugg boots, a belt bag, and pimple patches, and start at just $9.—
Katrina Cossey,
Parents,
11 Feb. 2025
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Clear plastic bins overflowed with deodorant, hair products and pastel pimple patches.—
Callie Holtermann,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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What doesn’t decay this winter can be mulched up next spring.—
Jeff Lowenfels,
Anchorage Daily News,
22 Sep. 2022
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In particular, many theorists have wondered how the great complexity of life can be reconciled with the laws of thermodynamics that suggest that all systems must inevitably decay to a state of greatest disorder.—
The Physics arXiv Blog,
Discover Magazine,
29 Apr. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Fester.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fester. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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