smelly

adjective

ˈsme-lē How to pronounce smelly (audio)
Definition of smellynext
as in stinking
having an unpleasant smell your smelly sneakers are enough to raise the dead

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 smelly Instead, here’s how to make your house smell good with these tricks to tackle smelly odors in your home and promote pleasant scents. — Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2026 Through the trading company Suzuki Shoten, the smelly oil was originally exported to Europe, where it was turned into a solid, odorless fat through a process called hydrogenation. — Pei-Hsu Lin, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2026 Use the water and hydrogen peroxide solution to rinse out smelly garbage cans. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 2 Aug. 2026 While baking soda is famously good at deodorizing smelly things, adding salt to compost piles can interrupt the composting process. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for smelly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smelly
  1. stinking
  2. stinky
  3. ripe
  4. malodorous
  5. foul
  6. disgusting
  7. filthy
  8. fetid
Adjective
  • For this argument Thomasine was jailed—stuffed into a damp, stinking, deadly stone cell crawling with rats and lice—to force her to change her beliefs.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • America’s political landscape has become a stinking mess.
    — Mary Ellen Klas, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026
Definition of stinking
Adjective
  • Stop at Callicoon Wine Merchant for a bottle paired with a stinky cheese on their sunny patio.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
  • These repellents are made of stinky smells and bad flavors that deer do not like, like potassium sorbate, whole egg solids, thyme oil, garlic, and sodium lauryl sulfate.
    — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of stinky
Adjective
  • Measures Of Success Going deeper than ratings or viewing time is key to identifying classic IP that is ripe for relaunch or reinvention.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Rioting, looting and chaos provide Marine Le Pen and her National Rally party with issues ripe for a campaign focused on immigration and public disorder.
    — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of ripe
Adjective
  • Skunks can cause anxiety in homeowners by harming lawns and possibly threatening Rover with their malodorous defenses.
    — Felicia Feaster, Martha Stewart, 20 June 2026
  • Be advised that only a small fraction of arums are malodorous.
    — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Definition of malodorous
Adjective
  • Fortes sprinted across the plate with the winning run, then headed toward first to join his jumping teammates in foul territory.
    — Ronald Blum, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Jackson Chourio and Bauers started the bottom half with singles and first baseman Jonathan Aranda allowed Contreras’ one-out foul pop to bounce out of his mitt near netting in front of the seats.
    — Ronald Blum, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of foul
Adjective
  • Comparing the administration's fight to protect women and women's spaces from males to rape, is utterly disgusting and actually devalues those atrocities and crimes against actual women.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The squad has not been beefed up at all after a shameful and disgusting transfer window.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • Everybody wants to bring back trip-hop, but no one remembers how filthy Dummy actually sounds.
    — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026
  • When the drop comes in, there’s this really filthy synth bass.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of filthy
Adjective
  • However, the Mariners play in the AL West, a fetid swamp of baseball disappointment.
    — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The Lineage warehouse fire, which erupted a mile away nearly two months ago, still blankets the church every morning with the fetid stench of millions of pounds of rotting food that have yet to be trucked away.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of fetid

Browse Nearby Words

smells (of)
smelly
smidgen
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Smelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelly. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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