Definition

Adjective: 1. Infested with or containing maggots: Describes something, typically organic matter like food or flesh, that is spoiled and has become the habitat for fly larvae (maggots). 2. Figuratively, eccentric or whimsical: An informal, dated, or literary usage describing ideas, thoughts, or behavior as strange, fanciful, or slightly mad.

Usage and Examples

• Literal usage (infested with maggots):
  • The fishermen discarded the maggoty bait.
  • We had to throw out the maggoty meat from the back of the refrigerator.
• Figurative usage (eccentric):
  • He dismissed the proposal as a maggoty notion. (This usage is less common in modern English.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used to evoke a strong sense of disgust or decay when used in its primary, literal sense.
• The figurative sense is largely archaic but may be encountered in older literature or for stylistic effect.

Variants and Related Words

• Maggot (n): The legless larva of a fly, which is the root of this adjective.
• Flyblown (adj): A close synonym, specifically meaning contaminated by fly eggs or larvae, or more generally, tainted or spoiled.

Synonyms

• Verminous: Infested with worms or insect larvae.
• Putrid: Decayed and emitting a foul smell.
• Whimsical: Playfully quaint or fanciful (for the figurative sense).

Antonyms

• Fresh: Newly made or obtained; not spoiled.
• Sanitary: Free from dirt or contaminants.
• Sensible: Practical and rational (antonym for the figurative sense).

Notes

• The primary and most common meaning of "maggoty" is literal, relating to physical decay and infestation.
• Use caution with the figurative meaning, as it is not standard in everyday contemporary English and may not be widely understood.

Adjective

1. spoiled and covered with eggs and larvae of flies
   • flyblown meat
   • a sack of maggoty apricots