stench

[stench]

noun

1. an offensive smell or odor; stink.

2. a foul quality.

stench

/ stɛntʃ /

noun

1. a strong and extremely offensive odour; stink

Other Word Forms

• stenchful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stench¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English stenc “odor (good or bad)”; akin to stink

Word History and Origins

Origin of stench¹

Old English stenc; related to Old Saxon, Old High German stank; see _stink

Synonym Study

See odor.

Example Sentences

But as the Yankees sat at their lockers in stunned silence Wednesday night, trying to process the stench of yet another October disappointment, a disquieting reality began to set in.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

When Chesson made it home to Richmond, Va. after her exposure, her husband, Patrick Hill, noticed a chemical-like stench radiating from his partner that lasted for weeks.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

By four minutes, the foul stench was gone, replaced by an "average burnt rubber" scent.

Read more on BBC

On a recent morning, a sour-sweet stench wafted in the air, and a blanket of flies settled on the ground near the spilled produce boxes that amass after weeks of neglect.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Starting first thing in the morning, talk about the stench. Then you call the state and nothing happens,” Dermish said.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• smell 
• stink