malodorous

adjective

mal·​odor·​ous ˌmal-ˈō-də-rəs 

1

: having a bad odor

a malodorous mixture of chemicals

2

: highly improper

malodorous practices and chicanery in high financial places

—New Republic

malodorously adverb

malodorousness noun

Synonyms

• fetid
• foul
• frowsty [chiefly British]
• frowsy
• frowzy
• funky
• fusty
• musty
• noisome
• rank
• reeking
• reeky
• ripe
• smelly
• stenchy
• stinking
• stinky
• strong

Choose the Right Synonym for malodorous

malodorous, stinking, fetid, noisome, putrid, rank, fusty, musty mean bad-smelling.

malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

prisoners were held in stinking cells

the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

fusty and musty suggest lack of fresh air and sunlight, fusty also implying prolonged uncleanliness, musty stressing the effects of dampness, mildew, or age.

a fusty attic

the musty odor of a damp cellar

Examples of malodorous in a Sentence

the cellar will need to be cleared of several malodorous piles of garbage

Recent Examples on the Web

Public stations were expensive to maintain and quickly became dirty and malodorous. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 22 Jan. 2025

Come for Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb, sweaty and malodorous and razor-sharp; stay for some of the best-structured storytelling on television. —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2024

Gary Oldman remains as delightful as ever as the malodorous but brilliant Jackson Lamb. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024

Descending through a malodorous entrance in the Roman Forum, the team waded through the sewer until the water current became too powerful. —Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for malodorous

• inodorous
• odorous

Kids Definition

malodorous

adjective

mal·​odor·​ous (ˈ)mal-ˈōd-ə-rəs 

: having a bad smell

malodorously adverb

malodorousness noun