Synonym Chooser

How is the word malodorous distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of malodorous are fetid, fusty, musty, noisome, putrid, rank, and stinking. While all these words mean "bad-smelling," malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

How do fusty and musty relate to one another, in the sense of malodorous?

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

In what contexts can noisome take the place of malodorous?

The synonyms noisome and malodorous are sometimes interchangeable, but noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

When can putrid be used instead of malodorous?

The words putrid and malodorous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

When would rank be a good substitute for malodorous?

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

rank cigar smoke

How are the words stinking and fetid related as synonyms of malodorous?

Both stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

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

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 malodorous Descending through a malodorous entrance in the Roman Forum, the team waded through the sewer until the water current became too powerful. Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025 Public stations were expensive to maintain and quickly became dirty and malodorous. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 22 Jan. 2025 Come for Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb, sweaty and malodorous and razor-sharp; stay for some of the best-structured storytelling on television. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2024 Gary Oldman remains as delightful as ever as the malodorous but brilliant Jackson Lamb. Erik Kain, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for malodorous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malodorous
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
  • All spoke about the inhumane conditions, from the fetid human waste to having to stand during the rain because there is nowhere to lie down.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Their stories include the reasons that kept them from evacuating and then the harrowing odysseys that took some of them through fetid streets of flood waters, others to the nightmare that was the Superdome or the Convention Center, and still others across impassable bridges and freeways.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 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
  • 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
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

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Cite this Entry

“Malodorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malodorous. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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