skunky

American  

[skuhng-kee] / ˈskʌŋ ki /

adjective

skunkier, skunkiest

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a skunk.

   a skunky odor.

2. having a disagreeable or tainted character.

   beer with a skunky taste.

3. Informal. mean and nasty; contemptible.

---

Other Word Forms

• skunkiness noun

Etymology

Origin of skunky

First recorded in 1895–1900; skunk + -y ¹

Example Sentences

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

Some are so skunky, staff at the local post office told Vanbianchi she could pick up her next delivery behind the building.

From Seattle Times • May 12, 2023

It was a skunky, 19-16 victory over the lousy Detroit Lions, who self-destructed with four turnovers behind a second-string quarterback.

From Washington Post • Nov. 25, 2019

In Secaucus, where a faint skunky new odor now mixes with the acrid belchings of trucks on the Meadowlands Parkway, Harmony Dispensary is looking forward to progress, however it comes.

From New York Times • Jul. 16, 2018

There’s morning breath and then there’s a noxious, skunky smell that even mouthwash can’t kill—most of us don’t want either.

From Slate • Jul. 6, 2018