sulfurous
adjective
sul·fu·rous
ˈsəl-fə-rəs 
-fyə-,
also (especially for sense 1a)
ˌsəl-ˈfyu̇r-əs
variants
or chiefly British sulphurous
1
2
a
: of, relating to, or dealing with the fire of hell : infernal
c
: profane, blasphemous
sulfurous language
sulfurously
adverb
sulfurousness
noun
Is it sulfur or sulphur?: Usage Guide
The spelling sulfur predominates in U.S. technical usage, while both sulfur and sulphur are common in general usage. British usage tends to favor sulphur for all applications. The same pattern is seen in most of the words derived from sulfur.
Examples of sulfurous in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Concerts have taken place in a pineapple greenhouse, a tea factory, and even a geothermal bath, where 800 attendees soaked in sulfurous yellow water while listening to the ethereal electro-pop of Basque singer-songwriter Verde Prato.
—
Philip Sherburne, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2024
Even for people like me who enjoy transforming leftovers into rocket fuel for their garden, composting can turn into a foul, stinking, sulfurous mess.
—Michael J. Coren, Washington Post, 30 July 2024
The water’s sulfurous smell prevents anyone from actually chugging the stuff.
—Jackie Burrell, The Mercury News, 17 June 2024
The skunk ape, alias swamp ape, apparently smells like bad eggs and goat dung, an odor attributed to its poor bathing habits and penchant for sulfurous alligator caves.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for sulfurous 
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.
Philip Sherburne, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2024
Even for people like me who enjoy transforming leftovers into rocket fuel for their garden, composting can turn into a foul, stinking, sulfurous mess.
—Michael J. Coren, Washington Post, 30 July 2024
The water’s sulfurous smell prevents anyone from actually chugging the stuff.
—Jackie Burrell, The Mercury News, 17 June 2024
The skunk ape, alias swamp ape, apparently smells like bad eggs and goat dung, an odor attributed to its poor bathing habits and penchant for sulfurous alligator caves.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for sulfurous
Dictionary Entries Near sulfurous
Cite this Entry
“Sulfurous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sulfurous. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sulfurous
adjective
sul·fu·rous
variants
also sulphurous
1
: of, relating to, or containing sulfur
2
a
: of, relating to, or dealing with the fire of hell : infernal
b
: fiery sense 3a, inflamed
a sulfurous sermon
c
: profane sense 2, blasphemous
sulfurous language
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share