aroma
Americannoun
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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
Related Words
See perfume.
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.
The aroma deepened, too, taking on a toasty, corn-rich warmth that made the whole pot smell like it had been simmering for hours.
From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026
“If you’re hungry and someone is preparing a meal, you can start smelling the aroma from a distance,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
"When the shop worker took the bag inside, they noticed that this particular donation had a distinctive pungent aroma," a police spokesperson told the New Zealand Herald.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026
About 1½ miles in, we started to smell a sulfur-like aroma and knew we were close to one of the most interesting features of this hike.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026
Drugged with the aroma of rotting wood, he lost consciousness.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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.
