stinky

adjective

Definition of stinkynext
as in stinking
having an unpleasant smell a stinky plant that attracts certain insects and then devours them

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 stinky Knowing divorce is hard on kids is like knowing that water is wet, cigars are stinky, and that Selena Gomez is incapable of acting. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 24 July 2026 Cushioned insoles create the feeling of bouncing forward with every step, not to mention the mesh outers will eliminate the threat of sweaty, stinky feet. — Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 20 July 2026 Yes, having children is a loud, stinky, exhausting, sensory experience. — Parents, 19 July 2026 Two stinky blooms are on display at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, and time is very limited to catch the stench. — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 13 July 2026 These might be mineral water showers or baths, cold-water enemas, or just drinking 3 glasses of stinky, sulfurous spring water daily before breakfast, while strolling and engaging in pleasant conversation on a landscaped promenade. — Veronique Greenwood, Time, 9 July 2026 Australia’s 2024 stinky ‘black balls’ incident This isn’t the first time mysterious balls were found on Australian beaches, stumping experts and locals alike. — Drew Pittock, USA Today, 8 July 2026 Besides creating the right environment for germs and bacteria to thrive, outdoor garbage cans can become moldy, attract scavenging wildlife and pests, and become overwhelmingly stinky. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 July 2026 Let’s respect and appreciate nature in all its messy, sometimes stinky beauty at the cove. — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stinky
  1. stinking
  2. smelly
  3. ripe
  4. malodorous
  5. disgusting
  6. foul
  7. filthy
  8. fetid
Adjective
  • America’s political landscape has become a stinking mess.
    — Mary Ellen Klas, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026
  • Not the good, high-altitude ozone that shields us from dangerous UV light, but bad ozone, hovering right above ground level — stinking, brownish, grayish photochemical smog.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of stinking
Adjective
  • Try to clean your front load washing machine every 30 days to keep it from ever getting to the smelly, musty stage.
    — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Use the water and hydrogen peroxide solution to rinse out smelly garbage cans.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of smelly
Adjective
  • Our top fruity perfume picks Cherry perfumes are ripe and juicy—perfect for someone who loves a gourmand fragrance through and through.
    — Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Fans gonna hate, and in that spirit the Dodgers are ripe for the ripping.
    — Steve Buckley, New York Times, 4 Aug. 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
  • To interrogate Fauci now, for absolutely no coherent reason and completely without sense, is shameful and disgusting.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The left's most hated author — JK Rowling — has dropped the hammer on the disgusting things that took place at the Indiana Fever-Seattle Storm game earlier this week.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • The foul weather sent trees toppling across the city, including on the Upper West Side in Manhattan and in Woodside, Queens, where a food truck was struck by a fallen tree, according to ABC.
    — Theodore Parisienne, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • She's been booed as a visiting player, elbowed in the face then called for a foul herself, all while some fans have been allowed to bring in signs expressing hatred towards her.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of foul
Adjective
  • Being outdoors, they’re exposed to all sorts of dust, pollen, dirt, bird droppings, spider webs, leaves, sap, weather, and pollutants carried by the wind, which can leave a filthy coating on your shutters.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Cleaning our planet’s filthy ports could one day get a boost from a creature with a very messy nickname.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 30 July 2026
Definition of filthy
Adjective
  • 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
  • Those releases were queasy, dank, almost fetid, as though Ableton could manipulate flesh as well as frequencies.
    — Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of fetid

Browse Nearby Words

stink up
stinky
stint
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stinky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stinky. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All