Synonyms of smelled

smelled

verb

variants or chiefly British smelt

past tense of smell

1

as in sniffed

to become aware of by means of the sense organs in the nose

we smelled the aroma of freshly baked cookies as soon as we walked in the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sniffed
• inhaled
• breathed
• scented
• whiffed
• snuffed
• drank (in)
• nosed
• snorted
• respired
• savored
• snuffled

2

as in sensed

to have a vague awareness of

I smell something fishy about this situation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sensed
• felt
• saw
• heard
• noticed
• tasted
• perceived
• scented
• realized
• expected
• looked (at)
• discovered
• noted
• remarked
• spied
• learned
• anticipated
• witnessed
• beheld
• observed
• viewed
• discerned
• suspected
• sighted
• ascertained
• regarded
• eyed
• guessed
• found out
• supposed
• espied
• distinguished
• foresaw
• assumed
• caught on (to)
• presumed
• descried
• surmised
• speculated
• divined
• conjectured
• foreknew

3

as in sucked

to be objectionable or unsatisfactory

that movie smells—I wouldn't waste my money on it if I were you

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sucked
• bit
• stank

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ruled
• rocked

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of smelled

The air smelled like smoke, even hundreds of miles downwind from the blazes. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

Harvest had finished two weeks ago and the cellar smelled ripely of yeast, like fruit and uncooked dough. — Kyle Lucia Wu, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 July 2026

For spouses Jennifer Kraus and Abigail Cruz, the plants smelled like rotten garbage. — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

My father used a powerful glue to reassemble the cowboy, which twenty-five years later still smelled like orange peels. — Will MacKin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026

In a strange twist, the potential buyer reportedly smelled a rat and reached out to someone with the company, to make sure the machinery hadn’t been stolen. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 25 June 2026

As someone with an open concept home where the trash can unfortunately be smelled from the couch, this is my favorite discovery of the year so far. — Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 June 2026

Nostalgia was for the Smurfs, for erasers that smelled like strawberries. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 19 June 2026

Investigators smelled hand sanitizer and ruled that the fire was set intentionally, prosecutors said. — Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026