as in stinking
having an unpleasant smell
your smelly sneakers are enough to raise the dead
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Recent Examples of smelly
If the yellowing leaves are limp or mushy, or the soil is smelly, overwatering is the likely culprit.
—
Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Jan. 2026
Kampot is also renowned for its durian, a tropical spiky fruit which—despite its pungent smell, often compared with smelly socks—is beloved for its sweet custardy taste.
—Vicky Smith, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
There are two reasons a clog happens: Larger pieces of food may become trapped in the drain if the dishes are not scraped before loading them into the machine, or sludge and food buildup from smaller residue on dishes accumulate in the drain over time leading to a smelly clog.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 16 Jan. 2026
Avoid adding smelly meats, fruit rinds or other sweet-smelling food scraps to your compost.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smelly
Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Jan. 2026
Kampot is also renowned for its durian, a tropical spiky fruit which—despite its pungent smell, often compared with smelly socks—is beloved for its sweet custardy taste.
—Vicky Smith, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
There are two reasons a clog happens: Larger pieces of food may become trapped in the drain if the dishes are not scraped before loading them into the machine, or sludge and food buildup from smaller residue on dishes accumulate in the drain over time leading to a smelly clog.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 16 Jan. 2026
Avoid adding smelly meats, fruit rinds or other sweet-smelling food scraps to your compost.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smelly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelly
Adjective
-
Not the good, high-altitude ozone that shields us from dangerous UV light, but bad ozone, hovering right above ground level — stinking, brownish, grayish photochemical smog.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
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Their solution to a stinking run was, comically, to rely on less than 23 per cent of possession and pick Madrid off with a classy volley from Martin Satriano, below.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Jenn Harris has a column about a battle over stinky tofu at Golden Leaf restaurant in San Gabriel.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Millions of dead red crabs, normally found further south, washed up on local shores, making a stinky mess.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This Apple deal is ripe for the picking!—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
-
What other surprises de Sitter holds are yet to be seen, but the landscape seems to be ripe for insights, Loparco said.—
Shalma Wegsman,
Quanta Magazine,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Gladwin iris or roast-beef plant (Iris foetidissima) has malodorous foliage when crushed.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
21 Mar. 2026
-
However, these newer deodorants marketed as whole-body deodorants often do a good job at deodorizing the areas that create malodorous smells.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Martin's first pitch to former Ranger Adolis García was popped into foul territory and dropped by Burger.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The shots were awarded after a flagrant-one foul call on the Jayhawks, so the Aztecs got the ball right after that.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The amount of disrespect shown the Broncos is disgusting.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
27 Mar. 2026
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Building Alligator Alcatraz and being proud of treating people inhumanely while at the same time stealing money for his charity is disgusting.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Space Marines are attempting to reclaim Kronus from the filthy xenos on the planet, leading a heroic charge into a massive Ork army as the Necrons rise again.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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The woman was taken to the Fort Worth jail, by then best described as an old, filthy, rat-infested hole in the basement of city hall.—
Kevin Foster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The evolutionary advantage of fetid roses was that their odor deterred animal herds that grazed in their habitat.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
21 Mar. 2026
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The New York Yankees are dealing with a stinky spring training situation after a sewage leak penetrated their clubhouse and outer hallway, and created pools of fetid water around George Steinbrenner Stadium.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelly. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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