odorous

American  

[oh-der-uhs] / ˈoʊ dər əs /

adjective

1. odoriferous.

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odorous British  

/ ˈəʊdərəs /

adjective

1. having or emitting a characteristic smell or odour

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Other Word Forms

• nonodorous adjective
• nonodorously adverb
• nonodorousness noun
• odorosity noun
• odorously adverb
• odorousness noun
• preodorous adjective
• unodorous adjective
• unodorously adverb
• unodorousness noun

Etymology

Origin of odorous

First recorded in 1540–50, odorous is from the Latin word odōrus “fragrant.” See odor, -ous

Explanation

Anything that has a strong scent can be described as odorous. Usually if you say something is odorous you mean that it smells unpleasant — like an odorous blue cheese made from unpasteurized milk. The adjective odorous comes from the Latin odorus, meaning “fragrant.” Typically, you wouldn’t say, “those roses you sent me are so odorous!” Although that comment could be literally correct, the implication would be insulting to the giver of said roses. More common uses of odorous might include: odorous gym mats, odorous garbage can, odorous gas fumes — you get the picture. Or rather the stench.

Example Sentences

One of his recurring subjects was meat, from flayed rabbits to rayfish, with odorous side effects.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

These hazardous spills have formed bubbling ponds and “ultimately rivers of odorous waste,” according to officials with the SCAQMD.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2024

The incandescent bulb’s bright light replaced the dim and often odorous illumination of oil and gas lamps that brought the risk of fire and, in the case of gas, of suffocation and explosions.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

This oil contains odorous compounds— in the case of the dark-eyed junco, it smells like leaf litter and soil.

From Scientific American • Mar. 24, 2022

The air temperature in the building had soared beyond ninety degrees, and the place had turned steamy, odorous, alive with monkey calls.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston