a rotten apple injures its companions
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
One bad person can harm or corrupt others around them
Literally: a rotten apple spoils nearby apples
Examples
The new employee's negative attitude is proof that a rotten apple injures its companions
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “a rotten apple injures its companions” mean?
One bad person can harm or corrupt others around them Literally: a rotten apple spoils nearby apples
Is “a rotten apple injures its companions” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.