malodorous

adjective

ˌmal-ˈō-də-rəs How to pronounce malodorous (audio)
Definition of malodorousnext
as in stinking
having an unpleasant smell the cellar will need to be cleared of several malodorous piles of garbage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word malodorous distinct from other similar adjectives?

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.

malodorous fertilizers

How do fusty and musty relate to one another, in the sense of malodorous?

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.

a fusty attic
the musty odor of a damp cellar

In what contexts can noisome take the place of malodorous?

The synonyms noisome and malodorous are sometimes interchangeable, but noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

When can putrid be used instead of malodorous?

The words putrid and malodorous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

When would rank be a good substitute for malodorous?

In some situations, the words rank and malodorous are roughly equivalent. However, rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

How are the words stinking and fetid related as synonyms of malodorous?

Both stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

prisoners were held in stinking cells
the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of malodorous Public stations were expensive to maintain and quickly became dirty and malodorous. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 22 Jan. 2025 Each lawyer, then, in his or her own way, played a part in creating a caricature: Danny, the kid in a tough situation trying his best to do the right thing; Mr. Neely, that malodorous man with schizophrenia stoking passengers’ fears on the subway. —Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024 Gary Oldman remains as delightful as ever as the malodorous but brilliant Jackson Lamb. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 Its leaves release a malodorous smell when trod upon and so served as a strewing herb. —Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024 See All Example Sentences for malodorous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malodorous
  1. stinking
  2. ripe
  3. fetid
  4. foul
  5. smelly
  6. disgusting
  7. filthy
  8. noisome
Adjective
  • This is about a team with a top-10 payroll whose GM committed too stinking much of it to dogs that can’t, or won’t, pull the sled.
    — Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2019
  • Muttaiah said the man inside the stinking manhole was working without any safety equipment — no gloves, no shoes, no supplemental oxygen.
    — Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2019
Definition of stinking
Adjective
  • Summer is a season ripe for scandal; people tend to be overheated and understimulated, looking to mist their crisping minds with idle gossip.
    — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 30 May 2025
  • At a time when the salary cap ceiling is taking a significant jump to $95.5 million, the conditions are ripe for upheaval.
    — Chris Johnston, New York Times, 29 May 2025
Definition of ripe
Adjective
  • Not so happy are people trying to swim around the stuff or breathing in the fetid aroma of drying mounds of sargassum.
    — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 9 May 2025
  • Only one of them has a fetish for the fetid stink of porta potties, but the other one has their weird kinks too.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025
Definition of fetid
Adjective
  • Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene slid into foul territory down the left-field line in pursuit of Chase Meidroth’s third-inning fly ball, then disappeared in a cloud of dust.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
  • Then, Muncy went deep again, continuing his recent surge by belting another three-run homer high off the right-field foul pole, tying a career-high with seven RBIs on the day.
    — Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2025
Definition of foul
Adjective
  • Banned in Europe In addition to being a carcinogen, formaldehyde, a colorless and smelly gas, can cause rashes and can sicken those who breathe it in, according to the FDA.
    — Ronnie Cohen, NPR, 8 May 2025
  • Usually, a smelly refrigerator is caused by specific foods inside it and how they're stored.
    — Halee Miller Van Ryswyk, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2025
Definition of smelly
Adjective
  • Conrad wraps the conversation by being incredibly disgusting about Bella’s nether regions.
    — Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 1 June 2025
  • For the next 200 years, snails only appeared in Parisian cookbooks alongside an apology for including such a disgusting ingredient.
    — Garritt C. Van Dyk, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 May 2025
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • The law specifically spells out heating problems, pest infestations and filthy conditions as among the issues that could require a court’s intervention.
    — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 30 May 2025
  • Detectives have criminally charged the owner of nearly 50 Belgian Malinois dogs that were found trapped together in a cramped, filthy Queens apartment, police said Wednesday.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 14 May 2025
Definition of filthy
Adjective
  • Having gone in the tank for Griffin, North Carolina’s highest courts are a noisome example of why partisanship ought to have no place in judicial selection.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2025
  • To question the sincerity of the president’s rhetoric—and that of his party—is not to dismiss the challenge posed by the various noisome currents of antidemocratic sentiment and behavior running through our politics like the effluence of overflowing sewers.
    — Gerard Baker, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2022
Definition of noisome

Browse Nearby Words

malodor
malodorous
malodorousness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Malodorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malodorous. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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