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 Westminster’s smelly and musty water is still safe to drink, city officials said. — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026 The duo wants to be there for the good, the bad, and the questionably smelly while sprinkling some happy-go-lucky magic over all of it. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 9 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 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
  • Is Maggie gonna randomly saunter into Tribal Council with her stinky hammock and two more extra votes?
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of stinky
Adjective
  • Bountiful seafood pastas are the specialty, but do save some space here or elsewhere for a dessert of po’e, a sweet, dense sponge cake made from mashed ripe bananas.
    — Mark Johanson, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The infants would be able to feed to their stomachs’ content on the increasingly ripe meat without getting close to finishing the entire spread laid before them.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 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
  • The midterms dealt that foul idea its greatest blow since Barack Obama’s ascent to the Presidency, in 2008.
    — David Remnick, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The Heat then cycled through their final two timeouts, with Adebayo off with a foul-line jumper at the regulation buzzer.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of foul
Adjective
  • Everyone starts tasting the varied, apparently disgusting, bottles.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The third branch of government did its job, and that should be a welcome sight for all Americans given the disgusting and dangerous attacks on our democracy by the federal government.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • And the women — exhausted, filthy, scared, and sometimes wounded themselves — rose to it every time.
    — Leah Garrett, New York Daily News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Los Angeles also struggles with an ongoing homelessness crisis — filthy encampments and rows of rusting RVs are a common sight in many neighborhoods.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of filthy
Adjective
  • Delicate glass vessels suspended by metal and connected by pipes gather condensation that drips into a pool of fetid water.
    — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • However, the Mariners play in the AL West, a fetid swamp of baseball disappointment.
    — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 25 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 13 Nov. 2026.

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