rotten
decayed or spoiled, especially food
Decayed or spoiled so that it smells bad, tastes bad, or you should not eat or use it.
[food / organic matter] is rotten
- We had to throw away the chicken because it was rotten.
- A horrible smell came from the bag of rotten vegetables.
- The dentist said I needed a filling in my rotten tooth.
- The fallen tree was so rotten that it broke apart in my hands.
- They discovered a pile of rotten leaves at the bottom of the compost bin.
- The milk is rotten, so please don’t drink it.
- These apples are soft and rotten inside.
- There is a rotten egg smell in the fridge.
- The bread went rotten after one week.
- He threw the rotten fruit in the trash.
very bad in quality or experience
Very bad in quality or as an experience, for example a bad film, bad weather, or a bad day.
a rotten [thing / time / experience]
- We had a really rotten holiday because it rained the whole time.
- The service at that restaurant is rotten, so I’m not going back.
- I thought it was a rotten movie, slow and badly acted.
- She’s had a rotten week at work and just wants to rest.
- That was a rotten game; our team played terribly.
- I had a rotten day at work.
- The weather is rotten today; it is cold and wet.
- We watched a rotten movie last night.
- He said the food at that place is rotten, so he never goes there.
- She felt bad because she gave him a rotten birthday present.
unkind or unfair toward someone
Very unkind or unfair to someone, for example in how you act or what you say.
[someone] is rotten to [someone]
- It was really rotten of you to laugh at her in front of everyone.
- He can be quite rotten to his little brother.
- What a rotten thing to say to someone who’s already upset!
- She felt that her colleagues had been rotten to her all year.
- Don’t be rotten—share your toys with your cousin.
- It was rotten of him to lie to his friends.
- She was rotten to her sister and made her cry.
- That was a rotten thing to do to your team.
- He can be very rotten when he is angry.
- Don’t be rotten; help your friend with his homework.
morally corrupt or dishonest
Very bad and dishonest in a moral way, especially when many people in a system or group do wrong things.
a rotten [system / institution / organization]
- Many people believe the political system is completely rotten.
- The investigation revealed a rotten culture within the company.
- He promised to clean up the rotten local government.
- She argued that the entire organization was rotten to the core.
- A few rotten officials damaged the public’s trust in the police.
- People say the government is rotten and full of lies.
- The company had a rotten culture of cheating customers.
- He thinks the whole system is rotten and must change.
- The report shows a rotten police force that took money from criminals.
- They want to fix the rotten parts of the law.
feeling physically very unwell
Feeling very bad in your body, for example when you are sick or very tired.
[someone] feels rotten
- I’ve had the flu all week and I still feel rotten.
- You look rotten—maybe you should go home and rest.
- I ate something bad last night and now I feel rotten.
- He felt rotten after staying up all night to finish the project.
- She woke up feeling rotten, with a headache and sore throat.
- I feel rotten today, so I can’t go to work.
- He looks rotten; I think he is sick.
- After the long flight, we all felt rotten.
- She felt rotten and went to see a doctor.
- He has a cold and feels rotten this morning.
feeling very guilty or sorry
Feeling very bad, sorry, or guilty about what you did or about someone’s problem.
feel rotten about [something]
- I felt rotten about forgetting his birthday.
- She felt rotten for yelling at her kids.
- He still feels rotten about the way he ended the relationship.
- I know you’re trying your best, so please don’t feel rotten about it.
- They all felt rotten after realizing how unfair they had been.
- I feel rotten about what I said to her.
- He felt rotten for not helping his friend.
- She felt rotten after she lied to her parents.
- We all felt rotten when we saw the sad news.
- He does not want you to feel rotten about this mistake.
very bad at a skill or activity
Not good at a skill or activity; you do it very badly.
[someone] is rotten at [activity]
- I’m rotten at remembering names.
- She says she’s rotten at cooking, so they eat out a lot.
- He was always rotten at math in school.
- They’re great at design but rotten at managing money.
- I’m rotten at small talk and parties make me nervous.
- I am rotten at dancing.
- She is rotten at math but good at art.
- He says he is rotten at cooking.
- My brother is rotten at spelling long words.
- We are rotten at playing this game.
very, extremely (informal intensifier)
An informal word meaning "very" or "extremely" used before some adjectives, for example "rotten drunk" (very drunk).
rotten [adjective]
- He came home rotten drunk after the party.
- It was rotten cold last night, even with the heating on.
- By the end of the hike we were all rotten tired.
- She was rotten scared of failing the exam.
- We were rotten lucky to catch the last train.
- He was rotten drunk after the wedding.
- It is rotten cold outside tonight.
- After the long trip, they were rotten tired.
- She felt rotten scared before the big test.
- We were rotten lucky to get tickets.
a rotten apple
1a bad person in a group
One bad person in a group who can cause problems or influence others in a bad way.
- There are a few rotten apples in every organization.
- The coach said he didn’t want one rotten apple ruining the whole team.
- They fired the rotten apples to protect the company’s reputation.
a rotten deal
1very unfair treatment or offer
Very unfair treatment or an unfair agreement, especially when someone gets much less than they should.
- Workers got a rotten deal in the new contract.
- He felt he got a rotten deal in the divorce settlement.
- It’s a rotten deal when interns work hard and aren’t paid at all.
a rotten egg
1a badly behaved or dishonest person
A person who behaves badly or dishonestly, especially in a group or among children.
- Don’t be a rotten egg—play fair with the others.
- There’s always one rotten egg who tries to cheat.
- They decided to remove the rotten egg from the team.
a rotten time
1a very unpleasant experience
A very bad or unpleasant experience or period of time.
- She had a rotten time at her old school.
- We had a rotten time on holiday because the hotel was terrible.
- He’s been having a rotten time since he lost his job.
feel rotten
1to feel very sick or guilty
To feel very bad, either because you are sick or because you feel very sorry or guilty about something.
- I feel rotten today, so I’m going to stay in bed.
- She felt rotten about forgetting to call her mother.
- He’s been feeling rotten all week with a bad cold.
rotten luck
1very bad luck
Very bad luck in a situation.
- Missing the train by one minute was rotten luck.
- That was rotten luck, losing your phone on the first day of the trip.
- You’ve had rotten luck with jobs this year.
- It’s rotten luck that the train broke down today of all days.
- It was rotten luck that it rained on the only day we were free.
rotten to the core
1completely and deeply corrupt
Completely bad and dishonest in a moral way, with no good parts left.
- She believed the regime was rotten to the core.
- The report showed that the organization was rotten to the core.
- Many voters see the system as rotten to the core and want major change.
rotten weather
1very bad, unpleasant weather
Very bad weather, for example cold, wet, windy, or stormy.
- We’ve had rotten weather all week.
- Because of the rotten weather, the match was canceled.
- What rotten weather for a picnic!
spoiled rotten
1treated too well so now spoiled
Given too many gifts or too much freedom, so the person becomes selfish and expects to always get what they want.
- Their kids are spoiled rotten; they never hear the word no.
- He grew up spoiled rotten and doesn’t know how to work hard.
- She worries that her grandson is being spoiled rotten by his grandparents.