redolent
Americanadjective
-
having a pleasant odor; fragrant.
- Synonyms:
- odoriferous, aromatic, odorous
-
odorous or smelling (usually followed byof ).
redolent of garlic.
-
suggestive; reminiscent (usually followed byof ).
verse redolent of Shakespeare.
adjective
-
having a pleasant smell; fragrant
-
(postpositive; foll by of or with) having the odour or smell (of); scented (with)
a room redolent of country flowers
-
(postpositive; foll by of or with) reminiscent or suggestive (of)
a picture redolent of the 18th century
Other Word Forms
- redolence noun
- redolency noun
- redolently adverb
Etymology
Origin of redolent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin redolent-, stem of redolēns, present participle of redolēre “to emit odor,” equivalent to red- red- ( def. ) + ol(ēre) “to smell” (akin to odor ( def. ) )
Explanation
When something is redolent of something, it makes you think of that thing by making a pretty strong impression on you. He had a shifty eye redolent of years of lying and petty crime. People used to use redolent of something with a strong, distinctive odor. Now, think of it as "stinks of" — but in a fancy way. If you're touring an old castle, you might say that the worn carpet and handsome woodwork are redolent of the place's former glory, though otherwise it's a dump.
Vocabulary lists containing redolent
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Great Gatsby
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The Nose Knows: Olfactory Vocabulary
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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.
And what he is alleged to have gotten up to with Jeffrey Epstein was redolent of low moral character.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026
Others may find “Boots” redolent of the Kubrick movie, “Platoon” and/or “An Officer and a Gentleman,” though its message isn’t too complicated.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
That pact to respect the dignity of the deceased, redolent of the old-school media environment, where gory films had to be sought out on LiveLeak, did not last.
From Slate • Sep. 12, 2025
Roast pork belly redolent and tender as Castilian suckling pig.
From Salon • Jul. 12, 2025
They multiplied prodigiously, hung abundantly from the trees, crowded the skies until they were redolent of yeast.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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.
