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
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
Citizens will include the smelly card in a standard utility bill, or as a stand-alone mailer.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 10 Dec. 2025
Shoebox Hide-and-Seek Set out empty boxes or tubs, bait one or a few with smelly treats, and let your dog sniff to find the hidden reward.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
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
Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 16 Jan. 2026
Citizens will include the smelly card in a standard utility bill, or as a stand-alone mailer.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 10 Dec. 2025
Shoebox Hide-and-Seek Set out empty boxes or tubs, bait one or a few with smelly treats, and let your dog sniff to find the hidden reward.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
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
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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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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,
7 Feb. 2026
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This Mumi Travel Laundry Bag is made of moisture-proof and odor-resistant material that locks in funky smells, preventing the rest of your clothing from getting stinky.—
Lauren Breedlove,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The snowpack the skiers had been travelling on had a weak layer that had been loaded up with snow, making conditions ripe for an avalanche, according to Chris Feutrier, USDA forest supervisor for the Tahoe National Forest.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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The National Weather Service on Wednesday issued a red flag warning, meaning that as the afternoon moved forward conditions would be very dry and windy, making the area ripe for brush fire spread.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Vermin, malodorous airs and other issues caused 14 Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach restaurants to fail inspection last week.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
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Democrats are an eye-watering 26 points underwater while Republicans are a more mildly malodorous 11 points beneath the surface.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Aiden Robbins continued his phenomenal day with a solo home run off the foul pole in right field.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Feb. 2026
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The foul smell permeated the area, too.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Just last week the president tweeted a vile and disgusting image of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and refuses to apologize.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
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So the disgusting attempt to rewrite history – won’t help.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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So open to the skies, and filthy.—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
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This neighborhood, peopled almost entirely by the people who claim to have been driven from Poland and Russia, is the eyesore of New York and perhaps the filthiest place on the western continent.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The family imploded, and there’s something almost novelistic in the trajectory—from cramped newspaper offices in Adelaide and Fleet Street to Lachlan Murdoch as the custodian of a journalistic enterprise’s fetid remains.—
Andrew O’Hagan,
New Yorker,
2 Feb. 2026
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Flesh wounds, fetid moppets, breastmilk-leaking nipples, and sudden gushes of blood make for a Monty Python-style of ribald humor that will alienate and enchant in equal measure.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smelly. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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