Thesaurus

foul

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of foul

1 to make dirty

the mechanic fouled the bath towels with axle grease

Synonyms of foul

befoul, begrime, bemire, besmirch, blacken, daub, dirty, distain [archaic], gaum [dialect], grime, mire, muck, muddy, smirch, smudge, soil, stain, sully

Words Related to foul

contaminate, defile, pollute, taint

confuse, disarrange, disarray, dishevel, disorder, draggle, jumble, mess, muddle

colly [chiefly British dialect], crock [dialect]

Near Antonyms of foul

decontaminate, purge, purify

disinfect, sanitize

brush, dry-clean, dust, launder, mop, rinse, scour, scrub, sweep, wash, wipe

brighten, deodorize, freshen, renew, spruce (up)

straighten (up), tidy (up)

Antonyms of foul

2 to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable

industrial pollution fouling the water supply

Synonyms of foul

befoul, contaminate, defile, poison, pollute, taint

Words Related to foul

begrime, besmirch, blacken, dirty, foul up, grime, mire, muddy, smirch, smudge, soil, stain, sully

corrupt, rot, spoil

adulterate, doctor

dilute, water down

Near Antonyms of foul

clarify, clean, cleanse, clear, distill (also distil), purge

disinfect, sanitize, sterilize

Antonyms of foul

decontaminate, purify

3 to reduce to a lower standing in oneʼs own eyes or in othersʼ eyes

the minister was irreparably fouled by baseless rumors and allegations

Synonyms of foul

abase, chasten, cheapen, debase, degrade, demean, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, humble, humiliate, lower, shame, sink, smirch, take down

Words Related to foul

abash, confound, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, fluster, mortify, nonplus, rattle

belittle, castigate, criticize, cry down, decry, depreciate, detract, diminish, discount, disparage, minimize, put down, ridicule, write off

bad-mouth, defame, defile, libel, malign, slander

affront, insult

censure, condemn, damn, denounce, execrate, reprehend, reprobate

Near Antonyms of foul

acclaim, applaud, boast, celebrate, cheer, cite, commend, compliment, congratulate, decorate, eulogize, extol (also extoll), fete (or fête), hail, honor, laud, praise, salute, tout

acknowledge, recognize

highlight, play up, spotlight

dignify, ennoble, enshrine, ensky, enthrone, glorify, magnify

advance, boost, lift, promote, raise, upgrade, uplift

idealize, romanticize

Antonyms of foul

aggrandize, canonize, deify, elevate, exalt

4 to go through decomposition

unless you want to smell the organic refuse as it fouls, locate the compost heap away from the house

Synonyms of foul

break down, corrupt, decay, decompose, disintegrate, fester, mold, molder, perish [chiefly British], putrefy, rot, spoil

Words Related to foul

sour, turn, turn off [British]

contaminate, defile, pollute, taint

addle, curdle, ferment

crumble, decline, degenerate, descend, deteriorate, dilapidate, sink, wither

Phrases Synonymous with foul

fall apart, go to seed (or run to seed)

Near Antonyms of foul

age, develop, grow, mature, ripen

refresh, renew, restore

cleanse, purify

assemble, compose, integrate

ameliorate, better, improve, meliorate

foul

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of foul

1 marked by wet and windy conditions

the foul weather brought out the windbreakers and rain slickers as everyone braced for a day of rough sailing

Synonyms of foul

bleak, dirty, inclement, nasty, raw, rough, squally, stormy, tempestuous, turbulent

Words Related to foul

blowy, blustering, blustery, breezy, gusty, windblown, windswept

cloudy, overcast, sunless

foggy, hazy, misty, murky, soupy

Near Antonyms of foul

balmy, calm, halcyon, peaceful, placid, pleasant, serene

Antonyms of foul

bright, clear, clement, cloudless, fair, sunny, sunshiny, unclouded

2 not being in accordance with the rules or standards of what is fair in sport

an aggressive hockey player who is known for his foul play and readiness for a fight

Synonyms of foul

dirty, illegal, nasty, unfair, unsportsmanlike

Words Related to foul

dishonorable, shabby, shameful

ignoble, low, mean, ungentlemanly

immoral, rotten, unchivalrous, unethical, unjust, unprincipled, unrighteous, unscrupulous

Phrases Synonymous with foul

below the belt

Near Antonyms of foul

just, law-abiding

ethical, moral, principled, righteous, scrupulous

honorable, irreproachable, unimpeachable

Antonyms of foul

clean, fair, legal, sportsmanlike, sportsmanly

3 causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment

a foul taste that made us gag

Synonyms of foul

abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, disgusting, distasteful, dreadful, evil, fulsome, gross, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, noxious, obnoxious, obscene, odious, offensive, rancid, repellent (also repellant), repugnant, repulsive, revolting, scandalous, shocking, sickening, ugly

Words Related to foul

exceptionable, objectionable

brackish, disagreeable, dislikable (also dislikeable), unpleasant

contemptible, despicable, detestable, hard, hateful

unhealthy, unsavory, unwholesome

execrable, lousy, miserable

atrocious, frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, gruesome (also grewsome), heinous, horrendous, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish, shocking, sick, sickish, sickly, terrible, unspeakable, vile

off-putting, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome

barbarous, unchristian, uncivilized, ungodly, unholy

distressing, disturbing, upsetting

Near Antonyms of foul

acceptable, agreeable, alluring, appealing, attractive, blessed (also blest), congenial, darling, delectable, delicious, delightful, delightsome, desirable, dreamy, dulcet, enjoyable, felicitous, gratifying, heavenly, inviting, likable (or likeable), luscious, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, savory (also savoury), sweet, welcome

unexceptionable, unobjectionable

healthful, healthy, restorative, salubrious, salutary, wholesome

Antonyms of foul

innocuous, inoffensive

4 depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society

that movie features nonstop foul language

Synonyms of foul

bawdy, blue, coarse, crude, dirty, filthy, gross, gutter, impure, indecent, lascivious, lewd, locker-room, nasty, obscene, pornographic, porny, profane, raunchy, ribald, smutty, stag, trashy, unprintable, vulgar, wanton, X-rated

Words Related to foul

broad, coarse-grained, gamy (or gamey), off, off-color (or off-colored), racy, risqué, salacious, salty, suggestive

barnyard, earthy, scatological

immodest, indecorous, indelicate, low, unbecoming

depraved, kinky, louche, naughty, perverse, perverted, wicked

exceptionable, objectionable, unacceptable, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome

abhorrent, debasing, disgusting, loathsome, offensive, repellent (also repellant), repugnant, repulsive, revolting

distasteful, obnoxious, unpleasant

blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible

atrocious, infamous

abusive, scurrilous

hard-core, soft, soft-core

Near Antonyms of foul

priggish, prim, prudish, puritanical, staid, straitlaced (or straightlaced), Victorian

correct, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper, respectable, seemly

innocuous, inoffensive

acceptable, agreeable, desirable, pleasant, pleasing, welcome

appropriate, becoming, fit, meet, suitable

immaculate, perfect, pure, spotless, virginal

approved, endorsed (also indorsed), sanctioned

Antonyms of foul

clean, decent, G-rated, nonobscene, wholesome

5 having an unpleasant smell

the foul fumes from the paper mill

Synonyms of foul

fetid, frowsty [chiefly British], frowsy (or frowzy), funky, fusty, malodorous, musty, noisome, rank, reeking, reeky, ripe, smelly, stenchy, stinking, stinky, strong

Words Related to foul

putrid, rancid, skunky, stale

bad, disgusting, offensive, repulsive, revolting, vile

decayed, decaying, decomposed, decomposing, rotted, rotten, rotting, spoiled, spoiling

dirty, filthy, nasty, noxious

odiferous, odoriferous, odorous

Near Antonyms of foul

flowery, fruity, spicy, woodsy

Antonyms of foul

ambrosial, aromatic, fragrant, perfumed, redolent, savory (also savoury), scented, sweet

6 not clean

I wouldn't play in the foul rainwater thatʼs collected in the feeding trough

Synonyms of foul

bedraggled, befouled, begrimed, bemired, besmirched, black, blackened, cruddy, dingy, dirty, draggled, dusty, filthy, grimy, grotty [chiefly British], grubby, grungy, mucky, muddy, nasty, smudged, smutty, soiled, sordid, stained, sullied, unclean, uncleanly

Words Related to foul

contaminated, defiled, germy, impure, polluted, tainted

insanitary, uncleaned, unsanitary, unsterile, unsterilized, unwashed

chaotic, cluttered, confused, disarranged, disarrayed, disheveled (or dishevelled), disordered, jumbled, littered, messed, messy, muddled, mussed, mussy, rumpled, scruffy, sloppy, slovenly, unkempt, untidy

raunchy, scuzzy [slang], shabby, skanky [slang], sleazy, squalid

collied [chiefly British dialect], crocked [dialect], fuliginous, sooty

Near Antonyms of foul

clear, limpid, pure

cleaned, cleansed, combed, groomed, neat, ordered, orderly, tidy

bleached, purified, whitened

bright, flawless, perfect, shiny, sparkling, unspotted, untouched

taintless, unblemished, undefiled, unpolluted, untainted, virgin, wholesome

Antonyms of foul

clean, cleanly, immaculate, spick-and-span (or spic-and-span), spotless, stainless, ultraclean, unsoiled, unstained, unsullied

Synonym Discussion of foul

dirty, filthy, foul, nasty, squalid mean conspicuously unclean or impure. dirty emphasizes the presence of dirt more than an emotional reaction to it.

- a dirty littered street

filthy carries a strong suggestion of offensiveness and typically of gradually accumulated dirt that begrimes and besmears.

- a stained greasy floor, utterly filthy

foul implies extreme offensiveness and an accumulation of what is rotten or stinking.

- a foul-smelling open sewer

nasty applies to what is actually foul or is repugnant to one expecting freshness, cleanliness, or sweetness.

- it's a nasty job to clean up after a sick cat

In practice, nasty is often weakened to the point of being no more than a synonym of unpleasant or disagreeable.

- had a nasty fall
- his answer gave her a nasty shock

squalid adds to the idea of dirtiness and filth that of slovenly neglect.

- squalid slums

All these terms are also applicable to moral uncleanness or baseness or obscenity. dirty then stresses meanness or despicableness

- don't ask me to do your dirty work

, while filthy and foul describe disgusting obscenity or loathsome behavior

- filthy street language
- a foul story of lust and greed

, and nasty implies a peculiarly offensive unpleasantness.

- a stand-up comedian known for nasty humor

Distinctively, squalid implies sordidness as well as baseness and dirtiness.

- engaged in a series of squalid affairs

Learn More about foul

See words that rhyme with foul Dictionary: Definition of foul Spanish Central: Translation of foul Nglish: Translation of foul for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of foul for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about foul

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up foul? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments

WORD OF THE DAY

de rigueur

required by fashion, etiquette, or custom

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games