Choose the Right Synonym for noisome

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

Did you know?

Noisome sounds like it might be a synonym of noisy, but it's not. Something noisome is disgusting, offensive, or harmful, often in its smell. Noisome does not come from noise, but from the Middle English word noysome, which has the same meaning as noisome. Noysome was formed by combining the noun noy, which means "annoyance," with the adjectival suffix -some ("characterized by a (specified) thing, quality, state, or action"). Noy comes from Anglo-French anui, which also means "annoyance." As you may have already guessed, the English words annoy and annoyance are also related to noisome.

Examples of noisome in a Sentence

it's no fun having asthma and living in an area with noisome smog a noisome remark about my weight that stuck with me for days

Recent Examples on the Web But Trudeau is using it to get rid of a political headache: the loud, noisome, but nonviolent blockade of bridges in Canada and the downtown of the nation’s capital. — Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 16 Feb. 2022 But her water bowl is filled with a noisome black, brackish liquid — what has fouled it, and for how long, is anyone’s guess. — Gene Weingarten, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2021 And there were some years where his fame was turned infamous by serious accusations of the most noisome acts. — Ashley Cullins, Billboard, 3 May 2021 Auschwitz was his laboratory, offering limitless subjects and unbound by noisome ethical inhibitions. — David Margolick, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2020 Farmers agreed to reduce the emissions of the country’s noisome pigs. — The Economist, 9 July 2019 When asked to share a story about the worst moment in his career, Griffin talked about yet another interaction with a noisome audience member. — Nina Metz, chicagotribune.com, 5 June 2018 This, of course, is a very Patriot way of dealing with a noisome issue from outside the stadium. — Charles P. Pierce, SI.com, 15 Jan. 2018 This is much more of an insult’ Venezuelan protesters are using a new and noisome weapon against the government: jars filled with their own feces. — Andrew Rosati, Bloomberg.com, 10 May 2017 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'noisome.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.