olfactory
adjective
ōl-
Did you know?
No, olfactory is not a noun meaning “a place that makes scents”; for that, you want perfumery, which makes more sense. Olfactory is instead an adjective used to describe things related to one’s sense of smell, that which lets you detect fruit with your snoot, a leek with your beak, Shiraz with your schnozz. Olfactory comes from the Latin word olfacere (“to smell”), which in turn combines two verbs, olēre (“to give off a smell”) and facere (“to do”). It often appears in scientific contexts (as in “olfactory nerves,” the nerves that pass from the nose to the brain and contain the receptors that make smelling possible), but it is occasionally used in less technical writing and speech. The pleasant smell of hot mulled cider, for example, might be considered an “olfactory delight,” depending on the spices and your own sensibilities, of course. As they say, the nose knows.
Examples of olfactory in a Sentence
Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 16 May 2025
The recently launched Brown Flowers, for example, presents an unexpected olfactory journey into the realm of floral scents.
—Bianca Salonga, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Something about the composition feels like an olfactory reset button.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 21 Mar. 2025
Notes: Lavender, chamomile, and vetiver Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis Linen Mist
$125
Neiman Marcus
From the makers of the celeb-favorite Baccarat Rouge, this spray's olfactory palette consists of leathery musk juxtaposed with floral and citrus.
—Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for olfactory
Cite this Entry
“Olfactory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/olfactory. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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olfactory
adjective
Medical Definition
olfactory
adjective
ōl-
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