incense 1 of 3

noun

ˈin-ˌsen(t)s How to pronounce incense (audio)
Definition of incensenext
1
as in scent
a sweet or pleasant smell the heavenly incense of spring flowers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in butter
excessive praise count on the office manager to spread the incense whenever there's a visiting VIP from the head office

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

incense

2 of 3

verb (1)

in-ˈsen(t)s How to pronounce incense (audio)
as in to anger
to make angry the insult so incensed him that he had to be restrained from hitting the guy

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

incense

3 of 3

verb (2)

ˈin-ˌsen(t)s How to pronounce incense (audio)
as in to scent
to fill or infuse with a pleasant odor or odor-releasing substance the gift shop was heavily incensed with a cloying mixture of herbal essences

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 incense
Noun
During the Qingming Festival, observed each year in April, families visit ancestral graves with food offerings and burn incense and paper replicas of everyday goods for their ancestors. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026 The seed, Esfand, is rendered as ovoid lamps and incense holders. — Sean Santiago, Architectural Digest, 15 Sep. 2026
Verb
The duo's defiance paved the way for a resolution to condemn socialism, a key election-year messaging bill for the GOP that drew glaring defections among Democrats, many of whom were incensed at the turn of events. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026 The smokejumpers ultimately kept their jobs, but the episode incensed the Alaska crew. — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incense
  1. scent
  2. praise
  3. anger
  4. perfume
  5. fragrance
  6. flattery
  7. infuriate
  8. aroma
Noun
  • Tyler placed it between us with an elegant flourish; the steam carried the scent of glorious-secret spices.
    — Larry Padgett, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The second-place winner was fragrance house French Cowboy, which was founded in 2025 by Ashley Santiago and Adrien Ollat, and collaborates with different creatives on the scents.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of scent
Noun
  • The two governors, who mended fences after clashing over last year’s Proposition 50 redistricting campaign, lavished praise on each other for their climate bona fides.
    — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Schwarzenegger and Newsom piled praise upon each other during the Wednesday afternoon discussion, hugging at the end.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of praise
Verb
  • No commercial goods have entered the Gaza Strip for two days, Israeli authorities said Thursday, blaming the suspension on merchants angered by taxes imposed by the militant group Hamas — a claim that Palestinian importers deny.
    — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The dispute over the report, which tackled an issue close to Weiss, forced CBS News to delay promotion of the episode and angered Stahl, who felt compelled to defend her reporting at a late stage of production.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of anger
Verb
  • Each red tin is packed with layers of white and dark chocolate perfumed with peppermint oil and topped with crushed peppermint candies.
    — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Don’t miss the botanical and sculpture gardens, which are perfumed by the jasmine and orchid flowers that bloom all over.
    — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of perfume
Noun
  • Others include California Coast with a sea salt, linen and moss fragrance and Life & Lemons with an aroma of citrus, musk and green tea.
    — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • In October 2025, Lauder debuted its fragrance atelier at La Maison des Parfums in Paris to accelerate the company’s growing luxury and prestige perfume business.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of fragrance
Noun
  • Manipulation, escalation, flattery and vindictiveness are not the unavoidable price of sounding natural.
    — Puneet Gaur, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Tom Cruise's recent effusive praise for Kate Middleton was not just Hollywood flattery, according to royal experts.
    — Ashley Hume , Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of flattery
Verb
  • Cummings said that in January 2021, a friend of Birchmore’s called Stoughton police and told a dispatcher about the illicit relationship, infuriating Farwell.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2026
  • His laserlike focus on the particulars of the story doesn’t leave much room for extrapolation; even the infuriating case of bureaucratic overreach that the film depicts can easily be understood, and perhaps even defended, as an aberration.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of infuriate
Noun
  • The sweet, woody scent of Georgia pines blended with the wafting aroma of sizzling hot dogs and hamburgers.
    — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • For nearly two decades, Pena and his wife have run a Dominican restaurant in Allentown, where the aroma of crispy pastelillos and savory rice fills the dining room.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of aroma

Browse Nearby Words

incendiary
incense
incensed
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Cite this Entry

“Incense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incense. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on incense

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about incense

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