Synonym Chooser

How is the word fetid distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of fetid are fusty, malodorous, musty, noisome, putrid, rank, and stinking. While all these words mean "bad-smelling," stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

prisoners were held in stinking cells
the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

How are the words fusty and musty related as synonyms of fetid?

Both 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

When would malodorous be a good substitute for fetid?

Although the words malodorous and fetid have much in common, malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

Where would noisome be a reasonable alternative to fetid?

The meanings of noisome and fetid largely overlap; however, noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

When can putrid be used instead of fetid?

While the synonyms putrid and fetid are close in meaning, putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

When could rank be used to replace fetid?

In some situations, the words rank and fetid are roughly equivalent. However, rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fetid Decades of despoiling water bodies have taken a terrible toll, filling water bodies with fetid algae that blocks sunlight and smothers the native seagrass beds that are a main food source for manatees. Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2025 The stumps of dead Joshua trees jutted from the fetid ground cover, while a few others, still alive, appeared anemic and were adorned in wispy strands of plastic debris and dust. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025 That is now as pathetic to me as a fetid caveman’s toolmaking would be to a great thinker like da Vinci or even Edgar Allen Poe. Graham Techler, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2025 Only one of them has a fetish for the fetid stink of porta potties, but the other one has their weird kinks too. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fetid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fetid
Adjective
  • Four plays, 76 yards, in 25 stinking seconds.
    David Aldridge, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
  • This is about a team with a top-10 payroll whose GM committed too stinking much of it to dogs that can’t, or won’t, pull the sled.
    Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2019
Adjective
  • Harvest those last zucchini, patty pans, and any ripe melons and bring them inside.
    Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Elsewhere in the spacious garden, David got on his hands and knees to pull a freshly ripe red onion.
    Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Midsummer is usually when sargassum, the floating seaweed that often washes up in malodorous piles on Florida beaches, starts to wane.
    Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Callery pear and Bradford pear trees are considered malodorous, according to the Spruce, a home and garden site.
    Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • Davidson’s condition, which leads him to make foul-mouthed outbursts, was barely understood at the time and was the source of misunderstandings, bullying, and harassment.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Earning an Emmy and a SAG Ensemble Award for his early 2000s role in Fox’s Ally McBeal, MacNicol earned another Emmy nomination for his work as foul-mouthed New Hampshire political power player Jeff Kane on HBO’s Veep in 2019.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Walking deeper into a smelly cave along the Albania-Greece border, cavers shined their flashlights along the rock walls and illuminated a massive spider colony.
    Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Take out the trash immediately after throwing away smelly items like diapers and leftovers from your seafood dinner.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • That would probably be the most disgusting kind.
    Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Continue reading … 'DISGUSTING' – Jen Psaki jokes Usha Vance scared of her husband, ripped for 'disgusting' comments.
    , FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Jackson Lamb has long, greasy hair and a pot belly over which hangs a filthy old trench coat.
    Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
  • On the other end, Ja’Marr Chase is coming off an absolutely filthy touchdown grab last Sunday.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The fabric also features Lululemon’s signature Silverescent technology, which prevents the growth of stinky bacteria.
    Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 14 Sep. 2025
  • An alkaline compound, baking soda is a non-toxic cleaner with a coarseness that works wonders for scrubbing grime, removing difficult stains, and deodorizing stinky odors.
    Lauren David, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fetid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fetid. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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