aroma
Americannoun
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aromas
plural
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an odor arising from spices, plants, cooking, etc., especially an agreeable odor; fragrance.
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(of wines and spirits) the odor or bouquet.
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a pervasive characteristic or quality.
noun
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a distinctive usually pleasant smell, esp of spices, wines, and plants
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a subtle pervasive quality or atmosphere
Synonym Usage
See perfume.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of aroma
First recorded in 1175–1225; from Latin, from Greek: “spice”; replacing Middle English aromat, from Old French, from Latin arōmat- (stem of arōma )
Explanation
Aroma is the word for a fragrant scent, one that pleases the nose in a way that makes you lick your lips. Unlike its foul-smelling cousin the odor, an aroma smells but never stinks. Want to know what aromas smell like? Brew a fresh pot of coffee, grill some onions, and fry up a few strips of bacon. Aromas make you drool. You can also use the word to describe things that don't literally smell, yet somehow seem to linger smell-like in the air, like the oppressive aroma of a brutal dictatorship.
Vocabulary lists containing aroma
"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury (1950)
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Smell Words
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Words for Cheese Writers
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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.
See Examples For:
The compound responsible for vanilla's familiar sweet flavor and aroma could have an unexpected future in medicine.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
Shulaker said he took a different approach, building miniaturized sensors that capture the overall aroma fingerprint of a sample.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The Midcentury Modern library where Rosales first inhaled the aroma of old books has changed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
"Its taste and aroma are royal. The apricot is a wonder of wonders."
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Late in the afternoon, the halls of the school filled with a delicious and unusual aroma.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
She only started adding salt to her porridge ahead of the competition, but quickly realised it "really brings out the nuances and different aromas".
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
The conflict highlights an emerging debate about synthetic scents: Many hotels use them, but some sensitive guests consider those aromas as welcome as secondhand smoke.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Barbera d'Asti, "traditionally dominated by notes of cherry and plum, is increasingly evolving toward more concentrated aromas of blackberry and blackcurrant", Garberoglio said after a tasting.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Elegant and structured, it has juicy acidity and aromas of jasmine, hay and spice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
More vegetables were chopped, skillets started sizzling, delicious aromas swirled together, and before long a magnificent meal was set on the dinner table.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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.
