Synonyms of smelling

smelling

verb

present participle of smell

1

as in sniffing

to become aware of by means of the sense organs in the nose

we smelled the aroma of freshly baked cookies as soon as we walked in the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sniffing
• inhaling
• scenting
• whiffing
• snuffing
• breathing
• nosing
• drinking (in)
• snorting
• respiring
• snuffling
• savoring

2

as in sensing

to have a vague awareness of

I smell something fishy about this situation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sensing
• feeling
• seeing
• hearing
• noticing
• perceiving
• tasting
• scenting
• expecting
• realizing
• anticipating
• discovering
• looking (at)
• noting
• learning
• remarking
• spying
• witnessing
• viewing
• observing
• beholding
• distinguishing
• ascertaining
• sighting
• eyeing
• discerning
• regarding
• suspecting
• espying
• guessing
• foreseeing
• finding out
• divining
• supposing
• descrying
• speculating
• assuming
• presuming
• catching on (to)
• foreknowing
• conjecturing
• surmising

3

as in sucking

to be objectionable or unsatisfactory

that movie smells—I wouldn't waste my money on it if I were you

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sucking
• biting
• stinking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ruling
• rocking

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of smelling

Public health experts have linked these health effects directly to exposure to contaminated water and air emanating from the pollution crisis, like the toxic foul-smelling gas hydrogen sulfide. — Samhita M Ilango, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026

But a tough guy can’t be walking around smelling like a medicine cabinet. — Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

If your bathroom has a bad odor when not in use, cleaning can keep the toilet water smelling fresh. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Aug. 2026

One man in his early 20s told me that his childhood friends had been recruited to work in fentanyl labs and would return smelling like chemicals for weeks. — Kevin Sieff, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026

Specifically, the Melrose Place Body Cleanser, which leaves your skin baby-soft and smelling fantastic all day long. — Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 11 Aug. 2026

Their crimes were discovered after neighbors in October 2023 reported smelling a foul odor. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026

Yet this is still a football club that may emerge smelling of roses. — Lee Clayton, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Their best sense is chemoreception, sort of like smelling, albeit through a frill of tiny flickering tentacles that extend past a ruff of epipodial tissue between its shell and foot, like a skirt over a petticoat. — Literary Hub, 29 July 2026