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
  • 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
  • Muttaiah said the man inside the stinking manhole was working without any safety equipment — no gloves, no shoes, no supplemental oxygen.
    Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2019
Adjective
  • There's nothing quite like biting into a sweet, perfectly ripe pear.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
  • That’s followed by baklava, ripe apricot, crème brûlée, and Cognac on the palate, with a finish of rum raisin cake.
    Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 2 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
  • StudioCanal, which produces the Paddington movies, and Paddington Bear’s rights holders are suing Avalon after the British producer’s Spitting Image series on YouTube depicted Paddington as a foul-mouthed podcast host.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Three days earlier, Rocchio had ended Cleveland’s regular season with a three-run blast off the right-field foul pole, a walk-off homer that propelled the club into postseason mode.
    Zack Meisel, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Rainleaf Microfiber Towel A microfiber towel is another takeaway from my camping adventures, where a damp towel can become heavy and smelly.
    Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 21 Sep. 2025
  • More than half reported feeling uncomfortable about their own or someone else's smelly shoes, and 90 percent kept their shoes in a shoe rack.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Evshine Memory Foam Slippers Listen, airplane floors are disgusting.
    Carin Ryan, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Some of the abuse that came later, though, was disgusting.
    Kevin Coulson, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Trying to expose the trafficking, abuse, and the filthy networks that protect the wealthy and powerful puts you in danger.
    Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Unitree claims that the G1 is made to handle difficult, filthy, and repetitive jobs in a variety of settings, including at homes, factories, and hospitals.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 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 8 Oct. 2025.

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