Synonyms of smelling

smelling

verb

present participle of smell

1

as in sniffing

to become aware of by means of the sense organs in the nose

we smelled the aroma of freshly baked cookies as soon as we walked in the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sniffing
• inhaling
• scenting
• whiffing
• snuffing
• breathing
• nosing
• drinking (in)
• snorting
• respiring
• savouring
• snuffling
• savoring

2

as in sensing

to have a vague awareness of

I smell something fishy about this situation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sensing
• feeling
• seeing
• hearing
• noticing
• perceiving
• tasting
• scenting
• expecting
• realizing
• anticipating
• discovering
• looking (at)
• noting
• learning
• remarking
• spying
• witnessing
• viewing
• observing
• beholding
• distinguishing
• ascertaining
• sighting
• eyeing
• discerning
• eying
• regarding
• suspecting
• espying
• guessing
• foreseeing
• finding out
• divining
• supposing
• descrying
• speculating
• assuming
• presuming
• catching on (to)
• foreknowing
• conjecturing
• surmising

3

as in sucking

to be objectionable or unsatisfactory

that movie smells—I wouldn't waste my money on it if I were you

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sucking
• biting
• stinking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ruling
• rocking