musky
1 Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of musky1
First recorded in 1600–10; musk + -y 1
Origin of musky2
Explanation
A musky smell might make you close your eyes and smile, or it might make you leave a room. Either way, it’s a very strong and sweet odor that's hard to ignore. Musk is a scent that deer secrete to convince a mate to cuddle with them, and so a musky odor often does the same for humans. But not always! A woman wearing musky perfume might inspire you to ask her on a date, but sometimes rotting fruit smells musky as well. Hard to know whether smelling musky is a good or bad thing. If you can’t decide, just go scent-free.
Vocabulary lists containing musky
The Nose Knows: Olfactory Vocabulary
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This Week in Words: April 13–19, 2019
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The Wild Robot Escapes
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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 goat was "nasty and mean", smelled "disgusting, musky, rancid", and would chase her young children, knocking them down.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2024
What outrageous crimes did the goat, whom she described as “disgusting, musky, rancid,” commit other than needing a bath?
From Salon • Apr. 26, 2024
Running along the trails that whipsaw through the oak forests of the Palo Alto hills , I was hit with a musky, skunky smell that made the hair on my neck stand up.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2024
The plant uses a musky odor to lure fungus gnats that usually feed and lay their eggs on mushrooms into their cup-shaped flowers.
From Science Daily • Feb. 19, 2024
She lifted her sleeve to cover her nose against the musky green smell.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
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.
