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
Don’t get compost too wet, though—overly moist conditions make compost smelly!
—
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2025
Nobody wants to ruin that fresh, clean feeling after washing their hands by reaching for a soggy (or worse, smelly) towel.
—Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Avoid adding smelly meats, fruit rinds or other sweet-smelling food scraps to your compost.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 13 Sep. 2025
Once cool, pour it into a spray bottle and lightly mist the smelly surfaces.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smelly
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2025
Nobody wants to ruin that fresh, clean feeling after washing their hands by reaching for a soggy (or worse, smelly) towel.
—Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Avoid adding smelly meats, fruit rinds or other sweet-smelling food scraps to your compost.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 13 Sep. 2025
Once cool, pour it into a spray bottle and lightly mist the smelly surfaces.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smelly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelly
Adjective
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Four plays, 76 yards, in 25 stinking seconds.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
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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
Adjective
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The fabric also features Lululemon’s signature Silverescent technology, which prevents the growth of stinky bacteria.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
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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
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Harvest those last zucchini, patty pans, and any ripe melons and bring them inside.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Oct. 2025
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Elsewhere in the spacious garden, David got on his hands and knees to pull a freshly ripe red onion.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Midsummer is usually when sargassum, the floating seaweed that often washes up in malodorous piles on Florida beaches, starts to wane.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Aug. 2025
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Callery pear and Bradford pear trees are considered malodorous, according to the Spruce, a home and garden site.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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Davidson’s condition, which leads him to make foul-mouthed outbursts, was barely understood at the time and was the source of misunderstandings, bullying, and harassment.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
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Earning an Emmy and a SAG Ensemble Award for his early 2000s role in Fox’s Ally McBeal, MacNicol earned another Emmy nomination for his work as foul-mouthed New Hampshire political power player Jeff Kane on HBO’s Veep in 2019.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That would probably be the most disgusting kind.—
Ilana Kaplan,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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Continue reading … 'DISGUSTING' – Jen Psaki jokes Usha Vance scared of her husband, ripped for 'disgusting' comments.—
,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Jackson Lamb has long, greasy hair and a pot belly over which hangs a filthy old trench coat.—
Barbara Ellis,
Denver Post,
20 Oct. 2025
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On the other end, Ja’Marr Chase is coming off an absolutely filthy touchdown grab last Sunday.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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All spoke about the inhumane conditions, from the fetid human waste to having to stand during the rain because there is nowhere to lie down.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
15 Sep. 2025
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This fetid flow — filled with both pathogens and toxic chemicals — stems from inadequate treatment near Tijuana, shuttering beaches and sickening Navy SEALs for years.—
Sharon Udasin,
The Hill,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelly. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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