Synonym Chooser

How is the word malodorous distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of malodorous are fetid, fusty, musty, noisome, putrid, rank, and stinking. While all these words mean "bad-smelling," malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

How do fusty and musty relate to one another, in the sense of malodorous?

Both fusty and musty suggest lack of fresh air and sunlight, fusty also implying prolonged uncleanliness, musty stressing the effects of dampness, mildew, or age.

a fusty attic
the musty odor of a damp cellar

In what contexts can noisome take the place of malodorous?

The synonyms noisome and malodorous are sometimes interchangeable, but noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

When can putrid be used instead of malodorous?

The words putrid and malodorous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

When would rank be a good substitute for malodorous?

In some situations, the words rank and malodorous are roughly equivalent. However, rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

How are the words stinking and fetid related as synonyms of malodorous?

Both stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

prisoners were held in stinking cells
the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

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 malodorous Gary Oldman remains as delightful as ever as the malodorous but brilliant Jackson Lamb. Erik Kain, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 Descending through a malodorous entrance in the Roman Forum, the team waded through the sewer until the water current became too powerful. Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025 Public stations were expensive to maintain and quickly became dirty and malodorous. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 22 Jan. 2025 Each lawyer, then, in his or her own way, played a part in creating a caricature: Danny, the kid in a tough situation trying his best to do the right thing; Mr. Neely, that malodorous man with schizophrenia stoking passengers’ fears on the subway. Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for malodorous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malodorous
Adjective
  • 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
  • Muttaiah said the man inside the stinking manhole was working without any safety equipment — no gloves, no shoes, no supplemental oxygen.
    Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2019
Adjective
  • Banana Bread Syrup Lewis says another alternative is to make your own banana bread syrup by simmering together mashed ripe banana, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla.
    Lauren Thomann, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 July 2025
  • Every candidate has already been vetted for safety; A.I. can identify low-hanging fruit, and then humans can decide whether the pairing is ripe for picking.
    Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • Their stories include the reasons that kept them from evacuating and then the harrowing odysseys that took some of them through fetid streets of flood waters, others to the nightmare that was the Superdome or the Convention Center, and still others across impassable bridges and freeways.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2025
  • That is now as pathetic to me as a fetid caveman’s toolmaking would be to a great thinker like da Vinci or even Edgar Allen Poe.
    Graham Techler, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The foul was upgraded to a flagrant foul penalty 2, resulting in an automatic ejection for Banks.
    Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2025
  • The other is a red panda named Bad Rudi with a penchant for foul language.
    Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 16 July 2025
Adjective
  • Words for different smells, or things that are smelly.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
  • The vibes and smelly stuff were abundant and people were going home happy.
    jsonline.com, jsonline.com, 5 July 2025
Adjective
  • There is no way around it: Toilet brushes are disgusting.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 July 2025
  • Nearly 200 pounds of disgusting mats and fur was removed, which equates to an average of 1.5 pounds per dog.
    Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 July 2025
Adjective
  • Indeed, the trio looked filthy, and one even had a red, watery eye.
    Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
  • Sharp has long been one of New York’s filthiest comedians.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • Having gone in the tank for Griffin, North Carolina’s highest courts are a noisome example of why partisanship ought to have no place in judicial selection.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2025
  • To question the sincerity of the president’s rhetoric—and that of his party—is not to dismiss the challenge posed by the various noisome currents of antidemocratic sentiment and behavior running through our politics like the effluence of overflowing sewers.
    Gerard Baker, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2022

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Cite this Entry

“Malodorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malodorous. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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