Meaning & use
odors
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“odors” is a form of “odor”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
Distinct smells that you notice through your nose, whether pleasant or, more often, unpleasant.
Grammar: Plural of odor; use odor for one smell: a strong odor, but strange odors.
Patterns
- odors of something
- odors from something
- odors coming from something
Strange odors drifted out of the basement after the heavy rain.
The kitchen fan removes cooking odors before they spread through the apartment.
Dogs can pick up odors that people never notice.
nounpluralfigurativeformal
Faint impressions or hints of something, especially something questionable, that seem to hang around a situation.
Grammar: Used figuratively, usually in the fixed idea of an odor of scandal or corruption.
Patterns
- odors of something
Odors of corruption surrounded the contract from the start.
Reporters sensed odors of scandal in the sudden resignation.
Word forms
| singular | odor |
|---|
Common combinations
- unpleasant odors
- The filter traps unpleasant odors from the garbage bin.
- remove odors
- Baking soda helps remove odors from a refrigerator.
- strong odors
- Strong odors from the chemical plant bothered the neighbors.
- mask odors
- Candles can mask odors, but they do not remove the cause.
- cooking odors
- Cooking odors lingered in the curtains for days.
Synonyms and how they differ
- smells
- Smells is the ordinary everyday word and can be good or bad, whereas odors sounds a little more formal or technical.
- scents
- Scents are usually pleasant and deliberate, like perfume or flowers, while odors are more often unwelcome.
- stenches
- Stenches are always strong and disgusting, so they are much more extreme than odors.
- aromas
- Aromas are pleasant, typically of food or drink, so they fit better than odors when you want to praise a smell.
Word family
Commonly confused: odors or odds? odors or odious?
odors vs odds
Odds means the likelihood of something happening or the ratio in betting; it is not related to smell, though the two words sound somewhat alike.
odors vs odious
Odious means hateful or extremely unpleasant in character, not smelly, although the sound is similar.
Practice
The janitor opened every window to let the musty ___ out of the old storeroom.
Choose one answer.
Odors fits a musty storeroom because it covers unwelcome smells. Aromas suggests a pleasant smell, and odds and scenes have unrelated meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “odors”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.