Meaning & use
malodorous
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Meaning
adjectivecomparableformal
Having a strong, unpleasant smell that is easy to notice.
Grammar: Gradable: you can say 'more malodorous' or 'the most malodorous', though the comparative is rare.
Patterns
- a malodorous substance
- malodorous air
- smell malodorous
- become malodorous
The pond became malodorous in the summer heat.
Workers wore masks near the malodorous waste.
A malodorous cloud drifted from the chemical plant.
Word forms
| comparative | more malodorous |
|---|---|
| superlative | most malodorous |
Common combinations
- a malodorous substance
- The lab stored malodorous substances in a separate room.
- malodorous air
- Malodorous air poured from the ventilation shaft.
- highly malodorous
- The mixture was highly malodorous and had to be sealed.
- become malodorous
- Standing water quickly becomes malodorous.
Synonyms and how they differ
- smelly
- The everyday word; malodorous is formal and mostly appears in reports, science writing, or descriptions of places.
- stinking
- Stronger and more emotional, often used as an insult; malodorous stays neutral and factual.
- fetid
- A literary or technical word for a rotting smell; malodorous is broader and less extreme.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: malodorous or odorous?
malodorous vs odorous
Odorous simply means having a smell, and it can be pleasant; malodorous always means the smell is bad.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'malodorous' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Malodorous' means having a bad smell, so drains fit. Roses and a favorite cheese would be pleasant, and 'malodorously' is not a normal adverb for singing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “malodorous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.