festered

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The “ignominy” of missing action, we are told, remained a “badge of shame” that festered for the rest of his life, “driving him to seek reckless vindication” in confrontations with other men of his class.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

No amount of martyrdom can save his legacy from succumbing to the rot he festered.

From Salon • Sep. 21, 2025

McCartney said confusion over the break-up had festered because the band's new manager Allen Klein - with whom he refused to align - said he had needed time to tie up some financial loose ends.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2024

Resentment festered in the meantime, as Bush and his peers questioned why the school hadn’t fought harder to defend him.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2024

These two groups were obliged to work side by side in the war plants, and their animosities festered and opened like boils on the face of the city.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou