Synonym Chooser

How does the noun odor contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of odor are aroma, scent, and smell. While all these words mean "the quality that makes a thing perceptible to the olfactory sense," odor may imply a stronger or more readily distinguished scent or it may be equivalent to smell.

a cheese with a strong odor

When might aroma be a better fit than odor?

While in some cases nearly identical to odor, aroma suggests a somewhat penetrating usually pleasant odor.

the aroma of freshly ground coffee

When would scent be a good substitute for odor?

The words scent and odor can be used in similar contexts, but scent applies to the characteristic smell given off by a substance, an animal, or a plant.

the scent of lilacs

In what contexts can smell take the place of odor?

Although the words smell and odor have much in common, smell implies solely the sensation without suggestion of quality or character.

an odd smell permeated the room

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 odor The nose can detect one trillion odors with over 400 types of receptors, and these cells renew themselves every 30 to 60 days. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025 Gas explosion detail Angry neighbors question why no one called for homes in the area to be evacuated after numerous reports of gas odors. Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025 The Tijuana River has been plagued with raw sewage and industrial waste from Tijuana for decades, fouling beaches along the U.S.-Mexico border with polluted water and sending foul odors drifting through communities in San Diego County. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025 In Childs Park, a neighborhood in South St. Petersburg, residents have complained for decades about a mysterious odor that comes and goes. John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for odor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for odor
Noun
  • In this scenario, the most likely outcome would involve Punk pinning Seth Rollins, providing a decisive conclusion to their ongoing feud with a clear pinfall victory, while strategically preserving Roman Reigns' aura of dominance and mystique by avoiding a direct pinfall loss to Punk.
    David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
  • Like Napoleon’s Uncle Rico, who dwells on his long-ago high-school-football days, Garrett is living in the faded aura of past glory: in his case, a 1989 video-game championship.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Prouvost engage audiences in quantum fundamentals not through complex explanations of concepts like qubits, but through video and sound developed with a quantum computer, as well scent and sculptural elements reflecting quantum phenomena.
    Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Bring them into your home, too — at least the scent of them with this Yankee Candle.
    Nicol Natale, People.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • His reputation has been restored and reaffirmed at Villa, with a setup that enables him to concentrate on footballing matters and possess a level of oversight rarely seen among modern-day managers.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Tagovailoa is still trending upwards from a developmental standpoint, but needs to shed his fragile reputation.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • British animal charity International Cat Care explains that the best way to introduce felines is following a five step method which starts with scent swapping, allowing each cat to familiarize with the other feline's smell before a face to face meeting.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025
  • The roar of generators and smell of fumes filled the air as a growing number of Puerto Ricans renewed calls for the government to cancel the contracts with Luma Energy, which oversees the transmission and distribution of power, and Genera PR, which oversees generation.
    Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • These fragrant groundcovers offer pleasing aromas and colorful flowers.
    Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The restaurant’s lushly landscaped garden is ready to seat as many as 1,000 customers, and the aromas of cheese enchiladas and fajitas—recipes perfected over 89 years—fill the air.
    Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The rabbis, both of high repute, belong to different generations and display differing levels of stringency—the stricter is a grandfather; the other, his son-in-law, is more lenient but by no means lax.
    Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Her voice, her public repute, and her dignity — the vanishings of which are all mostly self-steered.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • More than 2,300 rocket bodies orbiting the Earth can't be controlled and will eventually reenter the atmosphere, according to Nature.com.
    Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025
  • And the present environment, with harsh temperatures, intense radiation, and a sparse atmosphere, isn’t exactly propitious for life.
    Elizabeth Rayne, ArsTechnica, 19 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The names: Off-Roadeo Arches and Off-Roadeo Cliffhanger are meant to celebrate the Moab area and Bronco Off-Roadeo Moab.
    Jamie L. LaReau, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Brazil local time on July 17, 2007, the TAM Airbus A320—now operating under the name LATAM—was arriving from Salgado Filho Airport in Porto Alegre and attempted to land at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo.
    Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 23 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Odor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/odor. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.

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