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Synonyms

stinking

American  
[sting-king] / ˈstɪŋ kɪŋ /

adjective

  1. that smells foul; foul-smelling.

    Synonyms:
    rank, miasmal, foul, putrescent, rotten, putrid, smelly

  2. Slang. very drunk; plastered.

  3. Slang. very rich.

    His father left him so much money he's stinking.

  4. contemptible; disgusting.

    a stinking shame.

adverb

  1. completely or extremely.

    stinking drunk.
stinking British  
/ ˈstɪŋkɪŋ /

adjective

  1. having a foul smell

  2. informal unpleasant or disgusting

  3. slang (postpositive) very drunk

"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

adverb

  1. informal (intensifier, expressing contempt for the person referred to)

    stinking rich
"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

Other Word Forms

  • stinkingly adverb
  • stinkingness noun

Etymology

Origin of stinking

before 1000; Middle English stinkinge, Old English stincende. See stink, -ing 2

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.

A poisonous river of a stinking yellow liquid rushed downhill, inundating homes and fields, including the one where she grew corn to feed her eight children.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

It was horrifying for his friend to see him enveloped by stinking, rotting waste.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2025

The first obstacle was that I didn't know she would be so stinking cute, with a perfect little smile that made me want to spoil her rotten.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2024

Columnists Mark Z. Barabak and Anita Chabria took it all in before dashing to catch their flights home to California, that place haters depict as a stinking hellhole.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2024

“But when you have money, it doesn't matter if you smell. They'll just call us stinking rich.”

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

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.