Phrase guide

rotten apple

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A bad person, especially one who has a corrupting influence on others.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • Near-synonym: bad egg

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bad apple, bad seed, bad egg

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

1 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: гнила ябълка (gnila jabǎlka) — bad person with a corrupting influence