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as in poisonous
bad for the well-being of the body it's no fun having asthma and living in an area with noisome smog

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word noisome distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of noisome are fetid, fusty, malodorous, musty, putrid, rank, and stinking. While all these words mean "bad-smelling," noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

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

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 could malodorous be used to replace noisome?

The words malodorous and noisome are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

When might putrid be a better fit than noisome?

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

the putrid smell of rotting fish

When is it sensible to use rank instead of noisome?

While in some cases nearly identical to noisome, rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

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

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 noisome Having gone in the tank for Griffin, North Carolina’s highest courts are a noisome example of why partisanship ought to have no place in judicial selection. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2025 To question the sincerity of the president’s rhetoric—and that of his party—is not to dismiss the challenge posed by the various noisome currents of antidemocratic sentiment and behavior running through our politics like the effluence of overflowing sewers. Gerard Baker, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2022 Performers like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, who long ago bartered their integrity and believability for money and ratings, can peddle their noisome pro-Trump propaganda on Fox News. Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2022 But Trudeau is using it to get rid of a political headache: the loud, noisome, but nonviolent blockade of bridges in Canada and the downtown of the nation’s capital. Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 16 Feb. 2022 But her water bowl is filled with a noisome black, brackish liquid — what has fouled it, and for how long, is anyone’s guess. Gene Weingarten, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2021 And there were some years where his fame was turned infamous by serious accusations of the most noisome acts. Ashley Cullins, Billboard, 3 May 2021 Farmers agreed to reduce the emissions of the country’s noisome pigs. The Economist, 9 July 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for noisome
Adjective
  • Wolf spider bites are not poisonous and won't cause sores or body-wide symptoms from its venom.
    Carrie Madormo, Health, 6 Sep. 2025
  • This unconstitutional partisan politicization is poisonous to unit morale and discipline with long-term consequences for who serves and why.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • And putting it on her fingers and in your babies mouth is disgusting.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Because there are more aliens aboard the Maginot than just a Xenomorph, Hawley adds a few new wrinkles to the usual disgusting Alien progression of face-hugger to chest-burster.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
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
  • Wilson and Webbon told USA TODAY that scripture provides safeguards against toxic behavior.
    Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 9 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
  • This comes after Sunday's ugly loss to the Indianapolis Colts, a game that saw Hill catch just four passes for 40 yards.
    Drew VonScio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
  • That’s a hard reality to stomach for Giants fans, who had to watch their offense go 4-for-16 on third downs, pile up just 157 passing yards and finish with six points in an ugly loss to the Commanders.
    Zak Keefer, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The cards’ robust stainless-steel construction can withstand extreme handling like drops, foul weather and almost any other element that happens to come along.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Their journey takes a detour when her mom turns out to be a foul-mouthed truck driver, launching the trio into a cross-country odyssey filled with eccentric encounters, outrageous mishaps, and unexpected emotional revelations.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The change comes amid concerns about fireworks causing unhealthful air.
    Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
  • Health professionals encourage people to use lean cuts of meat because most of the fat in animal products is unhealthful saturated fat, which can raise the risk of heart disease and cancer.
    Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 22 June 2024
Adjective
  • One newspaper here calling the summit, sickening, shameful, and, in the end, useless.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2025
  • The practice is one of a sickening array of battlefield mistreatments recorded on video either by Ukrainian surveillance drones or Russian servicemen and then circulated on social media.
    Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 28 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Noisome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/noisome. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

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