incense 1 of 3

noun

ˈin-ˌsen(t)s How to pronounce incense (audio)
Definition of incensenext
1
as in scent
a sweet or pleasant smell the heavenly incense of spring flowers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in butter
excessive praise count on the office manager to spread the incense whenever there's a visiting VIP from the head office

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

incense

2 of 3

verb (1)

in-ˈsen(t)s How to pronounce incense (audio)
as in to anger
to make angry the insult so incensed him that he had to be restrained from hitting the guy

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

incense

3 of 3

verb (2)

ˈin-ˌsen(t)s How to pronounce incense (audio)
as in to scent
to fill or infuse with a pleasant odor or odor-releasing substance the gift shop was heavily incensed with a cloying mixture of herbal essences

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 incense
Noun
The Mass, rich in velvet and gold-trimmed vestments, chanting and incense, was livestreamed on the society’s YouTube channel, with simultaneous explanations in several languages. — Jamey Keaten, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 The Montblanc Collection is a fantastic ode to the label’s heritage, but a warming and wintry one by and large (leather, patchouli, oud, incense). — Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 25 June 2026
Verb
Cook, who is now retired and works in the private sector, became particularly incensed when the military began bombing boats in the Caribbean in September. — Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026 Democrats would be incensed if the shoe were on the other foot and Platner was the Republican candidate. — Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for incense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incense
  1. scent
  2. praise
  3. anger
  4. perfume
  5. fragrance
  6. flattery
  7. infuriate
  8. aroma
Noun
  • Also known as fragrance stacking, layering means mixing scents to create your own custom blend according to Almira Armstrong, founder of Lumira.
    — Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 6 July 2026
  • The dogs, specially trained to detect human scent, have spent days searching for people trapped beneath the rubble of nearly 200 buildings that collapsed following the two powerful back-to-back earthquakes.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
Definition of scent
Noun
  • His celebratory words marking its 250th anniversary included not only the traditional paeans to the Founders but also a dose of personal grievance, plus soaring praise for his own achievements.
    — Susan Page, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • This comes as the ex-Apprentice host on July 3 tossed some praise Clinton’s way in a book reading event with Second Lady Usha Vance on the latter’s podcast.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 4 July 2026
Definition of praise
Verb
  • The mayor floated the idea to place Williams on probation for six months, angering the city manager’s supporters in the crowd.
    — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
  • All the spending on the national events angers one supervisor at a Florida airport.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
Definition of anger
Verb
  • Fortunately, that something can be as easy as spicing it with ginger, perfuming it with florals or smoke, or easier still and our favorite version, adding a grapefruit peel to the shaker tin before shaking on ice.
    — Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 4 July 2026
  • The banana leaf protects the fish while allowing the cedar and oak smoke to gently perfume the salmon.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of perfume
Noun
  • Dior and Louboutin also have luxury beauty lines, while Dior and Cartier have major fragrance businesses.
    — Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 4 July 2026
  • There was also the Run space from WSN and ANDAM, featuring 12 designers across men’s, women’s, accessories and, for the first time, fragrance.
    — Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 2 July 2026
Definition of fragrance
Noun
  • Fake travel email uses flattery The message says your activity placed you among a select number of loyal members.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
  • The real danger is not the flattery itself.
    — Terry Oroszi, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
Definition of flattery
Verb
  • They’re infuriated with a military that turned out to repress civilian protests in recent years, but appeared slow to mobilize in support of earthquake victims this week.
    — Tibisay Zea, Christian Science Monitor, 3 July 2026
  • The result can be a more consistent connection, fewer interruptions and less of that infuriating mid-episode quality drop.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of infuriate
Noun
  • Black and oolong teas are not roasted, but oxidized to bring out different aromas.
    — Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • Between courses, a master cooper treated us to a fire-barreling demonstration, unleashing tall jets of flame that shot to the ceiling and filled the air with the aroma of charred oak.
    — Justin Meneguzzi, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026
Definition of aroma

Browse Nearby Words

incendiary
incense
incensed
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Cite this Entry

“Incense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incense. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on incense

Nglish: Translation of incense for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about incense

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