malodorous
adjective
New Republic
Synonyms
- fetid
- foul
- frowsty [chiefly British]
- frowsy
- frowzy
- funky
- fusty
- musty
- noisome
- rank
- reeking
- reeky
- ripe
- smelly
- stenchy
- stinking
- stinky
- strong
Example Sentences
Joy Williams, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2022 Less testing for monkeypox this summer will inevitably lead to more people suffering from ulcerating rashes, drenching night sweats, malodorous rectal discharge, and expansive onward spread. Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 21 July 2022 Two subways always coexist in our imagination: the actual subway—filthy, malodorous, rodent-ridden, and all the rest, but always running—and the subway as it is thematized and made iconic, by movies and television and the tabloids. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2022 So too their summers: sweaty, fleeting weeks of melting Popsicles, malodorous with bug repellent, the calendar countdown to hurricane season. Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2022 Research shows that people living near malodorous sites can suffer physiological symptoms including headaches, burning eyes and nausea as well as mental health challenges like depression and anxiety. New York Times, 13 Jan. 2022 Simply put your face mask on and open a window in your kitchen while measuring it and portioning and baking the dough to prevent any malodorous smell from lingering. Ben Mims, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2021 Several days into her quarantine period, Ms. Moore took a whiff of Dumbo’s typically malodorous food. New York Times, 17 May 2021 Yet another put forward a strategy to combat the wine’s malodorous nature. Lettie Teague, WSJ, 5 May 2021 See More Word History
1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1
malodorous
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- stinking
- fetid
- reeking
- smelly
- stinky
- foul
- ripe
- noisome
- disgusting
- filthy
- rotting
- fusty
- musty
- rotted
- frowsy
- rotten
- strong
- stenchy
- reeky
- dirty
- funky
- putrid
- frowsty
- frowzy
- vile
- rank
- rancid
- odorous
- nasty
- bad
- repulsive
- skunky
- revolting
- noxious
- odiferous
- odoriferous
- offensive
- stale
- decaying
- spoiled
- decayed
- decomposing
- spoiling
- decomposed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- fragrant
- aromatic
- perfumed
- scented
- redolent
- sweet
- savory
- ambrosial
- savoury
- spicy
- flowery
- woodsy
- fruity
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of malodorous are fetid, fusty, musty, noisome, putrid, rank, and stinking. While all these words mean "bad-smelling," malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.
Both fusty and musty suggest lack of fresh air and sunlight, fusty also implying prolonged uncleanliness, musty stressing the effects of dampness, mildew, or age.
The synonyms noisome and malodorous are sometimes interchangeable, but noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.
The words putrid and malodorous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.
In some situations, the words rank and malodorous are roughly equivalent. However, rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.
Both stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.