odor
Americannoun
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the property of a substance that activates the sense of smell.
to have an unpleasant odor.
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a sensation perceived by the sense of smell; scent.
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an agreeable scent; fragrance.
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a disagreeable smell.
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a quality or property characteristic or suggestive of something.
An odor of suspicion surrounded his testimony.
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repute.
in bad odor with the whole community.
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Archaic. something that has a pleasant scent.
noun
Related Words
Odor, smell, scent, stench all refer to sensations perceived through the nose by the olfactory nerves. Odor and smell in literal contexts are often interchangeable. Figuratively, odor also usually occurs in positive contexts: the odor of sanctity. Smell is the most general and neutral of these two terms, deriving connotation generally from the context in which it is used: the tempting smell of fresh-baked bread; the rank smell of rotting vegetation. In figurative contexts smell may be either positive or negative: the sweet smell of success; a strong smell of duplicity pervading the affair. Scent refers either to delicate and pleasing aromas or to faint, barely perceptible smells: the scent of lilacs on the soft spring breeze; deer alarmed by the scent of man. Stench is strongly negative, referring both literally and figuratively to what is foul, sickening, or repulsive: the stench of rotting flesh; steeped in the stench of iniquity and treason.
Other Word Forms
- odorful adjective
- odorless adjective
Etymology
Origin of odor
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Media reports said investigators were probing whether airport traffic controllers were distracted by a separate odor issue on a United Airlines flight -- the emergency to which the fire truck was responding.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
These systems detect and distinguish aromas, sometimes with about 1,000 times as much precision as humans can, and without the loss of sensitivity that comes when our noses get accustomed to an odor.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
This Florida timeshare sounds like out-of-date cheese with a bad odor.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026
Seven Disneyland employees were treated at hospitals on Tuesday after an odor in a backstage area at the park caused them to become dizzy and short of breath.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
He lashed out, seized what felt like someone’s head, and an unmistakable odor of wet wolfhound assailed his nose.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
