MALODOROUS Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

malodorous

adjective

ˌmal-ˈō-də-rəs

Definition of malodorous next

as in stinking

having an unpleasant smell the cellar will need to be cleared of several malodorous piles of garbage

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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 But, if this isn’t enough to drive away the predators, the malodorous animals play dead. —

Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024 The canal still carries sewage, mixed with rainwater, away from the city on a malodorous, 29-mile course. —

Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Because each snail yielded little more than a drop of the discharge — a clear, malodorous liquid — some 250,000 were required to produce an ounce of dye, by some accounts. —

Franz Lidz, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Only modest changes with age were observed and there was no relation between gas production and stool consistency, although stools were more likely to be malodorous when concentrations of H2S and/or CH3SH were high. —

Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019 See all Example Sentences for malodorous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for malodorous

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