smelly

adjective

ˈsme-lē 

smellier; smelliest

: having a smell

especially : malodorous

smelly socks

Synonyms of smelly

• stinking
• stinky
• ripe
• malodorous
• foul
• disgusting
• filthy
• fetid
• rotting
• reeking
• musty
• rotted
• strong
• fusty
• dirty

Examples of smelly in a Sentence

I don't like smelly cheese.

your smelly sneakers are enough to raise the dead

Recent Examples on the Web

Try to clean your front load washing machine every 30 days to keep it from ever getting to the smelly, musty stage. — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2026

Use the water and hydrogen peroxide solution to rinse out smelly garbage cans. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 2 Aug. 2026

While baking soda is famously good at deodorizing smelly things, adding salt to compost piles can interrupt the composting process. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 July 2026

The smelly smoke from the fires spreading across 2,528 square miles in the Province of Ontario snuck into Lake County overnight last Wednesday into Thursday. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for smelly

• belly
• deli
• jelly
• kellie
• melly
• nellie
• nelly
• shelly
• skelly
• smellie
• tele
• telly

Kids Definition

smelly

adjective

ˈsmel-ē 

smellier; smelliest

: having a smell and especially a bad smell

smelly socks