Meaning & use
aroma
Last updated
UK/əˈrəʊmə/
US/əˈroʊmə/
Meaning
nouncountable
A strong, usually pleasing smell, especially from food, drink, flowers or spices.
Grammar: Often followed by of: the aroma of coffee.
Patterns
- the aroma of something
- an aroma wafts
The aroma of fresh bread filled the kitchen.
A warm aroma of cinnamon drifted from the oven.
Wine experts judge the aroma before tasting.
Word forms
| plural | aromas |
|---|
Common combinations
- rich aroma
- The soup had a rich aroma of herbs.
- the aroma of coffee
- The aroma of coffee woke him up.
- waft
- A tempting aroma wafted from the café.
- pleasant aroma
- The garden had a pleasant aroma after the rain.
- fill the air with aroma
- Baking filled the air with a sweet aroma.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fragrance
- Fragrance is usually lighter and used for perfume or flowers, while aroma often relates to food and drink.
- scent
- Scent is general and can describe animals or tracks, not only pleasant smells.
- smell
- Smell is neutral and can be good or bad.
- bouquet
- Bouquet is used mostly for wine or flowers and sounds more refined.
Opposites
Word family
- aromatic adjective
- having a strong pleasant smell
- aromatherapy noun
- treatment that uses scented oils
Commonly confused: aroma or aura?
aroma vs aura
Aura is an atmosphere around a person, not a smell, although the two words look somewhat alike.
Practice
A neighbor said the ___ of roasting garlic made everyone hungry.
Choose one answer.
Aroma is a pleasant smell. Stench is a bad smell, and noise and taste do not describe something smelled.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aroma”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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