Stagnate vs Fester - What's the difference?

As verbs the difference between stagnate and fester

is that stagnate is to cease motion, activity, or progress: while fester is to become septic; to become rotten.

(en-verb)

To cease motion, activity, or progress:

# To cease to flow or run.

If the water stagnates , algae will grow.

# To be or become foul from standing.

Air stagnates in a closed room.

# To cease to develop, advance or change; to become idle.

#* (rfdate), Walter Scott:

Ready-witted tenderness never stagnates in vain lamentations while there is any room for hope.

#* 2003 , Ernest Verity, Get Wisdom (ISBN 1591606691), page 434:

Listening to what others say, especially to what they teach, prevents our minds stagnating , thus promoting mental growth into old age.

* stagnant * stagnation

(en verb)

To become septic; to become rotten.

* Milton

Wounds immedicable / Rankle, and fester , and gangrene.

To worsen, especially due to lack of attention.

Deal with the problem immediately; do not let it fester .

* Macaulay

Hatred festered in the hearts of the children of the soil.

To cause to fester or rankle.

* Marston

For which I burnt in inward, swelt'ring hate, / And fester'd rankling malice in my breast.

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