aromatic
Americanadjective
-
having an aroma; fragrant or sweet-scented; odoriferous.
-
Chemistry. of or relating to an aromatic compound or compounds.
noun
-
a plant, drug, or medicine yielding a fragrant aroma, as sage or certain spices and oils.
adjective
-
having a distinctive, usually fragrant smell
-
(of an organic compound) having an unsaturated ring containing alternating double and single bonds, esp containing a benzene ring; exhibiting aromaticity Compare aliphatic
noun
-
Relating to an organic compound containing at least one benzene ring or similar ring-shaped component. Naphthalene and TNT are aromatic compounds.
-
Compare aliphatic
Other Word Forms
- aromatically adverb
- aromaticness noun
- nonaromatic adjective
- nonaromatically adverb
- unaromatic adjective
- unaromatically adverb
Etymology
Origin of aromatic
1325–75; Middle English aromatyk (< Middle French ) < Late Latin arōmaticus < Greek arōmatikós. See aroma, -ic
Explanation
If something is aromatic, it smells good. Think fragrant roses, savory spices, freshly cut grass, or spring rain. Aromatic derives from the Greek aromatikos, meaning “sweet spice.” It is related to aroma, but there is one key difference between the meanings of the two words. While aromatic means "having a pleasant smell," aroma means just "smell" — that smell could be pleasant, or it could be the nastiest, mustiest, old-cheesiest smell on the planet. Say either "What is that pleasant aroma wafting from your kitchen?" or "What is that aromatic smell?" and you'll be saying essentially the same thing.
Vocabulary lists containing aromatic
A Recipe for Success: Thanksgiving Cooking Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Nose Knows: Olfactory Vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
These included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which indicate the intensity of slash-and-burn fires; leaf waxes, which reflect vegetation and rainfall patterns; and fecal stanols, which help estimate population size.
From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026
For brightness, add lemon zest — the aromatic lift without the watery slack.
From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026
Salvia clevelandii ‘Winifred Gilman’ didn’t do as well as the other sages and was too aromatic for his taste.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
Beyond that, efforts to produce larger silicon based aromatic systems repeatedly failed.
From Science Daily • Feb. 24, 2026
What revolutionised Debussy’s music more even than hearing Mussorgsky was a sound that came from much further afield, blown into Paris on an aromatic wind from Asia.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
