stinky
Americanadjective
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having a foul smell
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informal unpleasant or disgusting
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informal of poor quality; contemptible
Etymology
Origin of stinky
Explanation
Stinky things smell bad. If your gym uniform is particularly stinky after a game of volleyball, you should probably wash it. You might describe the gorgonzola cheese your sister loves as stinky. She, on the other hand, may object to your favorite perfume, describing it as stinky. Besides bad odors, the informal adjective stinky can also describe generally bad or rotten things: "You did a stinky job of cleaning the kitchen after you baked all that bread. There's flour everywhere!"
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.
With a hearty assist from treats, he spent four to five hours bonding with it each day and named his furry friend Stinky.
From Washington Post • Jul. 5, 2021
Cross answers with a gleaming smile, saying, "Eat! Eat!" or "Stinky!"
From Salon • Jun. 20, 2021
Mr Hingst would refer to Mr Short as "Mr Stinky" and sprayed deodorant at him, the court heard.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2019
Hallinan is exceedingly funny when describing colorful crooks like Louie the Lost, a getaway driver with no sense of direction, and Stinky Tetweil, a grossly fat fence who surrounds himself with exquisite objets d’art.
From New York Times • Nov. 2, 2018
“So Selaesori Qhoran means Stinky Steward, more or less?”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
