fragrance

noun

fra·​grance ˈfrā-grən(t)s 

1

a

: a sweet or delicate odor (as of fresh flowers, pine trees, or perfume)

b

: something (such as a perfume) compounded to give off a sweet or pleasant odor

2

: the quality or state of having a sweet odor

Synonyms

• scent
• aroma
• perfume

Choose the Right Synonym for fragrance

fragrance, perfume, scent, redolence mean a sweet or pleasant odor.

fragrance suggests the odors of flowers or other growing things.

the fragrance of pine

perfume may suggest a stronger or heavier odor.

the perfume of lilacs

scent is very close to perfume but of wider application because more neutral in connotation.

scent-free soaps

redolence implies a mixture of fragrant or pungent odors.

the redolence of a forest after a rain

Examples of fragrance in a Sentence

a flower with a lovely fragrance

the fragrance of lilac trees in full bloom

Recent Examples on the Web

The parents of an older girl named Sarah Summers—the very name still carries a shiver of excitement—gave me her old clothes from time to time, in washed, folded stacks that were permeated with a middle-class laundry fragrance, the smell of another world, better than my own. —Rachel Kushner, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025

Ralph’s Club, the fragrance from Ralph Lauren, got its own physical iteration of sorts Saturday. —James Manso, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2025

Clover, who is named after one of her grandmother’s famous films, Inside Daisy Clover, had packed her favorite Natalie Wood T-shirt with the star’s portrait, one in a series that Natasha had commissioned a few years back as part of the fragrance product line. —Liz McNeil, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2025

Most people may be unaware, but many automakers have tried their hand at selling personal fragrances with varying levels of success. —Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

fragrance

noun

fra·​grance ˈfrā-grən(t)s 

: a sweet, pleasant, and often flowery or fruity smell