stench
Americannoun
-
an offensive smell or odor; stink.
-
a foul quality.
noun
Related Words
See odor.
Other Word Forms
- stenchful adjective
Etymology
Origin of stench
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English stenc “odor (good or bad)”; akin to stink
Explanation
When you pass a dump, you might hold your nose and say, "Oh, I can't handle the stench." A stench is a bad smell. Stench can also be used metaphorically. If it is discovered that many members of a police force have been taking money from mob bosses so that they can continue their life of crime, a new chief may be brought in to remove the stench of corruption from the office. In either sense, stench is the kind of smell that takes work to get rid of.
Vocabulary lists containing stench
The Nose Knows: Olfactory Vocabulary
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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Inside Out & Back Again
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
I know of no other document that describes so vividly not only starvation, bombardment, arrests, surveillance and crowding, but also the stench and disgust of daily life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Residents began to complain of an “unbearable” stench that they said caused headaches, nausea, and eye, ear and nose irritation.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2026
Chu’s sequel is rotten with the stench of voracious greed, as much of a pre-packaged, ready-to-sell commodity as the “Angry Birds” or “Super Mario Bros.” movies.
From Salon • Nov. 21, 2025
The air was thick with the stench of a decomposing dog, left out to rot with no residents around to remove it.
From Barron's • Nov. 20, 2025
The trolls snored like thunder, and their stench only got worse through the night.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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.
