Meaning & use
skunky
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparableinformal
Having a strong, sharp smell that most people find unpleasant, often like a skunk or like stale marijuana.
Grammar: Gradable, so you can say 'skunkier' or 'the skunkiest', and it usually comes before a noun or after 'be', 'smell' or 'taste'.
Patterns
- a skunky smell
- smell skunky
- taste skunky
- skunky odor
The whole kitchen smelled skunky after the cat brought something in from the yard.
He opened the car window because the air inside had gone skunky and stale.
That bag of old clothes is skunky; let's wash everything before we wear it.
adjectivecomparableinformalslang
Smelling strongly of marijuana or of a plant similar to it.
Grammar: Used mostly in informal speech; it can describe a room, a person's clothes, or the drug itself.
Patterns
- smell skunky
- a skunky room
- skunky smoke
The stairwell smelled skunky, so the neighbors complained to the building manager.
His jacket was skunky after the party, and he hung it outside overnight.
Some people say certain hops give beer a skunky note.
adjectivecomparableinformal
Smelling strongly of something bad in a way that is hard to ignore, especially old beer or spoiled food.
Grammar: Often used with 'smell' or 'taste' as a linking verb: 'the beer smells skunky'.
Patterns
- smell skunky
- taste skunky
- go skunky
Clear bottles let light in, which makes beer go skunky fast.
The leftovers had turned skunky by the time we got home.
That milk tastes skunky; check the date on the carton.
Word forms
| comparative | skunkier |
|---|---|
| superlative | skunkiest |
Common combinations
- smell skunky
- The basement smelled skunky after the rain.
- go skunky
- Beer in clear glass can go skunky in sunlight.
- a skunky odor
- A skunky odor drifted from the trash can.
- taste skunky
- The soup tasted skunky, so we threw it out.
- turn skunky
- The fruit turned skunky within a couple of days.
Synonyms and how they differ
- smelly
- A general word for anything with a bad smell; 'skunky' is more specific and suggests a sharp, animal or plant-like smell.
- pungent
- More formal and neutral, often used for strong food smells like garlic or cheese; it does not suggest something rotten.
- stinky
- Very informal and childish-sounding, used for any bad smell; 'skunky' points to a particular kind of smell.
- rank
- Stronger and more literary, meaning unpleasantly strong-smelling; it fits a description in a story rather than everyday talk.
Opposites
Word family
- skunk noun
- A small black-and-white animal that sprays a strong-smelling liquid when frightened.
- skunked adjective
- Informal: having lost a game without scoring, or having been cheated.
Commonly confused: skunky or skunk? skunky or funky?
skunky vs skunk
The animal is a noun; 'skunky' is the adjective describing a smell like it. Say 'a skunk' for the animal and 'a skunky smell' for the odor.
skunky vs funky
'Funky' can mean smelling bad, but it also means stylish or having a strong rhythm in music, so it is much broader than 'skunky'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'skunky' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Skunky' is an adjective that follows linking verbs like 'smell', so 'smelled skunky' is correct. Option 2 puts the adjective before the verb, which does not work; option 3 mixes an adjective with a noun wrongly; option 4 adds 'of' before an adjective, but 'of' needs a noun such as 'a skunk'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “skunky”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.