as in stinking
having an unpleasant smell
your smelly sneakers are enough to raise the dead
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smelly
Before Brummell, the aristocracy dressed in rich, smelly materials; after, styles were adapted from military uniforms—think of the broad shoulders of a British pinstripe suit, for example.
—
Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
There’s nothing worse than getting out into the wilderness, away from society, and then hearing somebody one campsite over start up a loud, smelly gas generator.
—Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 6 Jan. 2025
Mushy and smelly roots should be clipped away with sterilized pruners or scissors, while circling roots can be gently teased apart to improve water absorption.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Dec. 2024
Some states have taken measures to fight back against the smelly, harmful tree.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 18 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for smelly
Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
There’s nothing worse than getting out into the wilderness, away from society, and then hearing somebody one campsite over start up a loud, smelly gas generator.
—Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 6 Jan. 2025
Mushy and smelly roots should be clipped away with sterilized pruners or scissors, while circling roots can be gently teased apart to improve water absorption.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Dec. 2024
Some states have taken measures to fight back against the smelly, harmful tree.
—Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 18 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for smelly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelly
Adjective
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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
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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
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Summer is a season ripe for scandal; people tend to be overheated and understimulated, looking to mist their crisping minds with idle gossip.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
30 May 2025
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At a time when the salary cap ceiling is taking a significant jump to $95.5 million, the conditions are ripe for upheaval.—
Chris Johnston,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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Public stations were expensive to maintain and quickly became dirty and malodorous.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
22 Jan. 2025
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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
Adjective
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When the ball dinged off the right-field foul pole, a euphoric Crow-Armstrong tossed his bat toward the Cubs dugout and pounded his chest before rounding the bases to celebrate the grand slam and second home run of the game.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2025
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That didn’t leave enough time to evaluate if Rooker’s double bounced off the wall or the foul pole.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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But unfortunately, that also means Big Mouth, the cartoon about all the disgusting, messy parts of growing up from Nick Kroll, must also conclude as well.—
Lucy Ford,
Time,
19 May 2025
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Victorian Ladies at Lunch In a beautiful regency-era setting, four women eat disgusting foods.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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After being fired from SNL, Silverman scored a part playing a misunderstood filthy comedy writer on The Larry Sanders Show, Shandling’s classic send-up of the talk-show game.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
18 May 2025
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Who doesn’t rinse out (and ideally wash) a filthy blender filled with milky stuff?—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Not so happy are people trying to swim around the stuff or breathing in the fetid aroma of drying mounds of sargassum.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
9 May 2025
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Only one of them has a fetish for the fetid stink of porta potties, but the other one has their weird kinks too.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This high-moisture environment is ideal for mold and mildew, encouraging rampant growth through the affected areas and producing an unpleasant musty smell.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 May 2025
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Change your cabin air filter before cranking up your car A.C. to avoid musty car smells.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelly. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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