stinky
Americanadjective
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having a foul smell
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informal unpleasant or disgusting
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informal of poor quality; contemptible
Etymology
Origin of stinky
Explanation
Stinky things smell bad. If your gym uniform is particularly stinky after a game of volleyball, you should probably wash it. You might describe the gorgonzola cheese your sister loves as stinky. She, on the other hand, may object to your favorite perfume, describing it as stinky. Besides bad odors, the informal adjective stinky can also describe generally bad or rotten things: "You did a stinky job of cleaning the kitchen after you baked all that bread. There's flour everywhere!"
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.
“Peacemaker” creator James Gunn is fully aware of the music’s association with stinky Spandex, spittle and sloppy beer drunks.
From Salon • Dec. 14, 2025
The show has included the usual mix of potentially terrifying or revolting trials for the celebrities, including parachuting into the jungle, crawling through stinky slime and encountering creatures including crocodiles.
From BBC • Dec. 7, 2025
That is the stinky cherry on top of this case, because the Justice Department still won, right?
From Slate • Oct. 31, 2025
I’ve eaten stinky socks, rotten eggs and old bandages — thanks to a cruel Jelly Belly Bean Boozled challenge in junior high.
From Salon • Aug. 24, 2025
I cursed her under my breath as I carried the heavy liters of soda home, and even though she couldn't keep any food down, I ate a stinky omelet in her presence.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
