shmelly

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparableinformalhumorous

   Having a bad smell, or seeming to smell bad, said in a joking or mocking way.

   Grammar: Used like a normal adjective before a noun or after a linking verb: a shmelly sock, the sock is shmelly.

   Patterns

   • be shmelly
   • a shmelly something
   • smell shmelly

   After two days in my gym bag, those sneakers got really shmelly.

   He waved his shmelly socks at me and laughed.

   The whole car smelled shmelly after we hauled the wet dog home.

2. 2adjectivecomparableinformalhumorous

   Used jokingly to describe something as bad, low-quality, or unpleasant in a general way.

   Grammar: Often comes before a noun and carries a light, teasing tone rather than real criticism.

   Patterns

   • a shmelly deal
   • shmelly old something

   I got stuck with a shmelly old room at the back of the hotel.

   That was a shmelly deal — I paid full price and got nothing extra.

Word forms

Common combinations

really shmelly

My running shoes are really shmelly after the marathon.

get shmelly

Leave the cheese out and it will get shmelly fast.

a shmelly old something

He keeps a shmelly old jacket in the closet.

smell shmelly

The fridge started to smell shmelly, so we cleaned it.

Synonyms and how they differ

smelly

The plain, neutral word; use it for real descriptions, and keep 'shmelly' for joking or teasing.

stinky

Also informal, but it is more direct and often used by children; 'shmelly' sounds more playful.

pungent

A formal word for a strong, sharp smell, and it does not carry the joking tone of 'shmelly'.

Opposites

Word family

smelly adjective

The ordinary word for having a bad smell.

smell verb

To notice something with your nose, or to give off an odor.

smell noun

The quality you notice with your nose.

Commonly confused: shmelly or smelly?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “shmelly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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