FETID Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'fetid' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of fetid are fusty , malodorous , musty , noisome , putrid , rank , and stinking . While all these words mean "bad-smelling," stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting. // prisoners were held in stinking cells // the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

Q: How are the words 'fusty' and 'musty' related as synonyms of 'fetid'?

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

Q: When would 'malodorous' be a good substitute for 'fetid'?

Although the words malodorous and fetid have much in common, malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive. // malodorous fertilizers

Q: Where would 'noisome' be a reasonable alternative to 'fetid'?

The meanings of noisome and fetid largely overlap; however, noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive. // a stagnant, noisome sewer

Q: When can 'putrid' be used instead of 'fetid'?

While the synonyms putrid and fetid are close in meaning, putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter. // the putrid smell of rotting fish

Q: When could 'rank' be used to replace 'fetid'?

In some situations, the words rank and fetid are roughly equivalent. However, rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell. // rank cigar smoke

fetid

adjective

ˈfe-təd

Definition of fetid next

as in stinking

having an unpleasant smell that fetid cheese from Belgium is definitely an acquired taste

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How is the word fetid distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of fetid are fusty, malodorous, musty, noisome, putrid, rank, and stinking. While all these words mean "bad-smelling," stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

prisoners were held in stinking cells

the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

How are the words fusty and musty related as synonyms of fetid?

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

When would malodorous be a good substitute for fetid?

Although the words malodorous and fetid have much in common, malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

Where would noisome be a reasonable alternative to fetid?

The meanings of noisome and fetid largely overlap; however, noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

When can putrid be used instead of fetid?

While the synonyms putrid and fetid are close in meaning, putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

When could rank be used to replace fetid?

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

rank cigar smoke

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 fetid Aside this was a pool — five or six feet long and almost as wide — of what appeared to be the same fetid liquid, congealed. —

Ian Frisch, Curbed, 9 Jan. 2025 Sears does an excellent job with his role, capturing Johnny’s frenetic desperation to remain afloat in the clan’s fetid storm, but this critic, at least, wanted more for this character. —

Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2024 Similarly, Musk has transformed Twitter into a dull, fetid cesspool of White nationalism and paranoid lies. —

Michelle Goldberg, The Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2024 The city’s shimmering wealth and fetid corruption leap from the page; so, too, does music’s transcendent, radiant power. —

Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fetid

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fetid

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