1
2
: any of several large petrels that have an offensive odor
3
slang
: something extremely difficult
the examination was a real stinker
Synonyms
- bastard
- beast
- bleeder [British]
- blighter [chiefly British]
- boor
- bounder
- bugger
- buzzard
- cad
- chuff
- churl
- clown
- creep
- cretin
- crud [slang]
- crumb [slang]
- cur
- dirtbag [slang]
- dog
- fink
- heel
- hound
- jerk
- joker
- louse
- lout
- pill
- rat
- rat fink
- reptile
- rotter
- schmuck [slang]
- scum
- scumbag [slang]
- scuzzball [slang]
- skunk
- sleaze
- sleazebag [slang]
- sleazeball [slang]
- slime
- slimeball [slang]
- slob
- snake
- so-and-so
- sod [chiefly British]
- stinkard
- swine
- toad
- varmint
- vermin
Examples of stinker in a Sentence
He is a dirty little stinker.
a real stinker of a performance
Recent Examples on the Web
Statistically some of them are bound to be stinkers.
—
Bradley Brownell / Jalopnik, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
For example, toxic algae known as red tide can leave the shores littered with dead fish, making a trip to the beach a total stinker.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
The Warriors went into the Boston game having won 13 of their previous 16 but lost enough earlier in the season that the occasional stinker is a step backward.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
But the Bucs are looking to rebound from a stinker of their own after wasting an opportunity to clinch the division title in a listless 23-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
—Fred Goodall, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024
Monken will still call the plays but will face an extra layer of skepticism from fans because of the Chiefs stinker.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2024
Some movies are just stinkers, at least according to the 2024 Golden Raspberry Awards nominations, which provide a list of some of the organization’s picks for last year’s least noteworthy big screen bombs.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Jan. 2024
And reviews were embargoed until the moment the show premiered, which is usually a sign of a stinker that someone wants to hide.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2024
Where else but in this stinker of a town would there be so many aunts and cousins excited to meet a newborn, and to help?
Luling’s sole general hospital, Ascension Seton Edgar B. Davis, is named for the God-fearing shoemaker who discovered that the town was sitting on oil.
—Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024
Bradley Brownell / Jalopnik, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
For example, toxic algae known as red tide can leave the shores littered with dead fish, making a trip to the beach a total stinker.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
The Warriors went into the Boston game having won 13 of their previous 16 but lost enough earlier in the season that the occasional stinker is a step backward.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
But the Bucs are looking to rebound from a stinker of their own after wasting an opportunity to clinch the division title in a listless 23-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
—Fred Goodall, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024
Monken will still call the plays but will face an extra layer of skepticism from fans because of the Chiefs stinker.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2024
Some movies are just stinkers, at least according to the 2024 Golden Raspberry Awards nominations, which provide a list of some of the organization’s picks for last year’s least noteworthy big screen bombs.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Jan. 2024
And reviews were embargoed until the moment the show premiered, which is usually a sign of a stinker that someone wants to hide.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2024
Where else but in this stinker of a town would there be so many aunts and cousins excited to meet a newborn, and to help?
Luling’s sole general hospital, Ascension Seton Edgar B. Davis, is named for the God-fearing shoemaker who discovered that the town was sitting on oil.
—Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stinker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stinker
Cite this Entry
“Stinker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stinker. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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