redolent

[red-l-uhnt]

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adjective

having a pleasant odor; fragrant.

odorous or smelling (usually followed by of): redolent of garlic.

suggestive; reminiscent (usually followed by of): verse redolent of Shakespeare.

Origin of redolent

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin redolent- (stem of redolēns), present participle of redolēre to emit odor, equivalent to red- red- + ol(ēre) to smell (akin to odor) + -ent- -ent

Related formsred·o·lence, red·o·len·cy, nounred·o·lent·ly, adverb

Synonyms for redolent

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1. odorous, aromatic, odoriferous.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for redolent

reminiscent, scented, evocative, pungent, ambrosial, balmy, fragrant, odoriferous, remindful

Examples from the Web for redolent

Contemporary Examples of redolent

The atmosphere at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea was redolent of these lobster palaces.
My Big, Buttery Lobster Roll Rumble: We Came, We Clawed, We Conquered
Scott Bixby
June 7, 2014
The name, so redolent of a certain archetype of American womanhood, is irresistible to anyone red-blooded.
How Hot Is Blanche Lincoln?
Tunku Varadarajan
June 15, 2010
So the bullet that Gavrilo Princip fired at old Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo (a redolent place-name) goes on echoing.
Lessons from Another War
Christopher Buckley
November 12, 2009

Historical Examples of redolent

It gloried in three names, all of which were redolent of home.
A Forest Hearth: A Romance of Indiana in the Thirties
Charles Major
“Our men,” on the other hand, is redolent of sentimental domesticity.
The Red Hand of Ulster
George A. Birmingham
They interviewed me in my study, and the house was redolent of Southern courtesy and grace.
St. Cuthbert's
Robert E. Knowles
From springtime until autumn the presbytery was redolent of mignonette.
Balthasar
Anatole France
The silken thing which enveloped her was redolent of the perfume of roses; it was stifling her.
The Yellow Claw
Sax Rohmer

British Dictionary definitions for redolent

redolent

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

Derived Formsredolence or rare redolency, nounredolently, adverb

Word Origin for redolent

C14: from Latin redolens smelling (of), from redolēre to give off an odour, from red- re + olēre to smell

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for redolent

adj.

c.1400, from Old French redolent "emitting an odor" and directly from Latin redolentem (moninative redolens), present participle of redolere "emit a scent, diffuse odor," from red-, intensive prefix (see re-), + olere "give off a smell" (see odor).