DECOMPOSE Synonyms: 52 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'decompose' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of decompose are decay , putrefy , rot , and spoil . While all these words mean "to undergo destructive dissolution," decompose stresses a breaking down by chemical change and when applied to organic matter a corruption. // the strong odor of decomposing vegetation

Q: Where would 'decay' be a reasonable alternative to 'decompose'?

The words decay and decompose are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, decay implies a slow change from a state of soundness or perfection. // a decaying mansion

Q: In what contexts can 'putrefy' take the place of 'decompose'?

In some situations, the words putrefy and decompose are roughly equivalent. However, putrefy implies the rotting of animal matter and offensiveness to sight and smell. // corpses putrefying on the battlefield

Q: How do 'rot' and 'decompose' relate to one another?

Rot is a close synonym of decompose and often connotes foulness. // fruit was left to rot in warehouses

Q: When is 'spoil' a more appropriate choice than 'decompose'?

The synonyms spoil and decompose are sometimes interchangeable, but spoil applies chiefly to the decomposition of foods. // keep the ham from spoiling

decompose

verb

ˌdē-kəm-ˈpōz

Definition of decompose next

as in to disintegrate

to go through decomposition detectives needed to know how long it would take a corpse to decompose to that advanced state

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How is the word decompose different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of decompose are decay, putrefy, rot, and spoil. While all these words mean "to undergo destructive dissolution," decompose stresses a breaking down by chemical change and when applied to organic matter a corruption.

the strong odor of decomposing vegetation

Where would decay be a reasonable alternative to decompose?

The words decay and decompose are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, decay implies a slow change from a state of soundness or perfection.

a decaying mansion

In what contexts can putrefy take the place of decompose?

In some situations, the words putrefy and decompose are roughly equivalent. However, putrefy implies the rotting of animal matter and offensiveness to sight and smell.

corpses putrefying on the battlefield

How do rot and decompose relate to one another?

Rot is a close synonym of decompose and often connotes foulness.

fruit was left to rot in warehouses

When is spoil a more appropriate choice than decompose?

The synonyms spoil and decompose are sometimes interchangeable, but spoil applies chiefly to the decomposition of foods.

keep the ham from spoiling

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of decompose Park, the man who lost his brother and was speaking on behalf of other families, said Monday that more freezing containers were needed to keep the bodies from decomposing amid rising temperatures. —

Stella Kim, NBC News, 30 Dec. 2024 Over the centuries, the decomposing bodies left cavities inside the hardened mineral casings. —

Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025 Body parts seen poking out of the ground were not fully decomposed, Hayes said. —

Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 7 Jan. 2025 Like the decomposing Russian beside the home from which Buryi’s team flew its drones, he was left behind, another luckless soul in a human-hunting routine brought to the world after a cornered people, choosing between collective life and collective death, opened Pandora’s box. —

C.j. Chivers Robert Fass Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for decompose

Recent Examples of Synonyms for decompose

Verb

Other groups disintegrated amid more prosaic conflicts over priorities and egos.

— Charles Homans, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
The rocket system's upper stage appears to have disintegrated somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico or possibly the Caribbean Sea.

— Jason Abbruzzese, NBC News, 17 Jan. 2025