Meaning & use
malodor
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Meaning
nouncountableformalAmerican
A strong, unpleasant smell, especially one that hangs in the air.
Grammar: Countable in American English: 'a malodor', 'malodors'; the usual British spelling is 'malodour'.
Patterns
- a malodor from something
- the malodor of something
- give off a malodor
- mask a malodor
Residents complained about the malodor coming from the factory.
A malodor of decay filled the old basement.
The treatment plant uses filters to remove malodors from the air.
Word forms
| plural | malodors |
|---|
Common combinations
- a faint malodor
- A faint malodor of smoke lingered in the room.
- give off a malodor
- The chemical gives off a malodor when it is heated.
- mask a malodor
- They opened the windows to mask the malodor.
- the malodor of decay
- The malodor of decay came from the blocked drain.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stench
- Much more common and stronger; it suggests an overpowering smell, while malodor is a neutral, formal term.
- stink
- Informal and often used as a verb too; malodor is the formal noun you would see in a report.
- odor
- Neutral in meaning and can be pleasant or unpleasant, whereas malodor is always unpleasant.
Opposites
Word family
- malodorous adjective
- Having a strong unpleasant smell.
- odor noun
- A smell, pleasant or unpleasant.
- odorous adjective
- Having a noticeable smell, usually not a bad one.
Commonly confused: malodor or malodour?
malodor vs malodour
This is simply the British spelling of the same word; use 'malodor' in American English and 'malodour' in British English.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'malodor' most naturally.
Choose one answer.
'Malodor' is always an unpleasant smell, so drains fit; fresh bread would be an 'aroma'. It is a noun, not something you wear or use as a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “malodor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.