malodorous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of malodorous
Explanation
You can use the adjective malodorous as a nicer way to say that something's stinky. Maybe you think your feet smell like roses, but if people move far away when your shoes come off, your rosy feet are probably malodorous. Mal- is used to form words for bad things, and in this case, mal-odor-ous means having a bad odor. Synonyms for malodorous include "smelly," "rank," and "funky" — but not funky in a "get on with your bad self" good way, just funky bad. If you walk into a malodorous room, you might start checking the bottoms of your shoes to see if you stepped in something, and if a plate of malodorous food is served, you might cover your nose and mouth.
Vocabulary lists containing malodorous
Take the Bad with the Good: Bene and Mal
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The Nose Knows: Olfactory Vocabulary
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Something Smells: From "Malodorous" to "Mephitic" to "It Reeks!"
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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.
Malodorous fumes wafting in the summer sun – an unsightly mess is plaguing American cities from coast to coast this summer.
From BBC • Jul. 26, 2025
Malodorous train carriages began backing up near several neighbouring towns.
From The Guardian • Apr. 15, 2019
Malodorous, Nefarious, Obstreperous, Perfidious -- I could go on all day.
From Washington Post • Aug. 2, 2018
Malodorous and hideous became the normally pleasant sward of the University.
From Time Magazine Archive
Malodorous as all this may be, it is not likely to add up to a case.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
