List of smells adjectives

Descriptive Words for Scents: List of Smell Adjectives

Isn't it amazing how words can take shape and materialize into depictions of real-world encounters, including scents? The more descriptive the word, the greater the chance that the imagination will recreate the scent. That's why it's vital for writers to have a few descriptive words for scents ready to go. You never know when you'll want to share the memory of a fine day, right down to the jasmine wafting through the air. Use these smell adjectives to enhance the sensory appeal of your writing.

scent word floral girl smelling flowers

Describing a Scent

Some descriptive words for scents refer to what made the smell or explain what it smells like. Review words and meanings here or download a printable list of scent words.

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Outdoorsy or Natural Adjectives for Smell

The great outdoors is filled with fragrances that most people can relate to, so nature words are often used to describe or explain scent.

airy - natural smelling, like clean, fresh air
clean - very light scent, clean and natural
crisp - fresh and natural
earthy - recently dug or tilled soil
fresh - natural smelling, rather than artificial
loamy - fragrance with an earthy note
feminine - floral fragrances
floral - scents associated with flowers
flowery - fragrance similar to flowers
masculine - earthy fragrances
pine - crisp, refreshing evergreen smell
lilac - rich floral scent combining rose with vanilla
moist - smell of dew or rainfall
rose - spicy yet sweet fragrance
smoky - scent of burning wood
woodsy - forest-like smell

Food-Related Words to Describe Smell

There can be a close association between the senses of taste and smell, so it makes sense that fragrances are often described in terms of foods.

citrusy - crisp notes of any citrus fruit
fishy - smelling of fish; pungent, strong, unpleasant
lemony - tart, piquant citrus notes
lime - refreshing and zesty citrus smell
minty - menthol-like smell, think mint tea or peppermint candy
savory - spicy, salty scent that has no elements of sweetness
spicy - sharp, heady, can sting or tickle the nose
sour - rancid, sickly sweet smell
sweet - sugary smell
tart - sharp fragrance

Adjectives to Describe the Depth of Scent

Some scents are very light while others are extremely strong with a lot of variation in between.

billowy - scent that surges and wanes
biting - pungent, sharp or harsh fragrance
faint - very light or mild fragrance; can barely be detected
heady - very strong aroma
misty - mild fragrance, not overpowering
overpowering - too strong of a smell
pungent - strong fragrance
redolent - having a strong, permeating odor
rich - a strong, resounding smell that is appealing to the senses
sharp - pungent fragrance that permeates the air
wispy - hint of fragrance in the air
perfumed - artificial fragrance, not natural-smelling

Descriptive Terms for Unpleasant Scents

Simply saying that something smells bad isn’t very descriptive. Use appropriate adjectives to convey what an unpleasant odor smells like.

acid - sour, burnt odor; vinegary smell
acrid - strong, biting smell, such as something that’s on fire
dirty - nasty, unpleasant odor; unwashed and in need of washing
doggy - odor like an unbathed or wet canine
fetid - decaying or rotting smell
mildewed - soaked in wetness that has gone stale
moldy - damp, fungus-like odor
musty - old smell; stale and probably moldy
nauseating - odor that makes one sick to one’s stomach
plastic - artificial chemical polymer odor
putrid - stench of decay
rancid - spoiled; food that has gone bad
repulsive - off-putting odor
rotten - spoiled, rancid, unpalatable
skunky - noxious smell that lingers; sulfuric (like rotten eggs) odor
stale - old, dusty, stagnant odor
spoiled - rotten; something that has “gone bad”
stinking - unpleasant, foul smell
sweaty - perspiration odor

Scent Synonyms

The word scent can refer to a lovely perfume or a strong odor. There are many synonyms you can use instead to avoid repetition. While each of these words can be used to mean the same thing as scent in certain contexts, the associated connotation can be quite different. You might talk about how much you love the aroma of freshly baked bread, but it wouldn't make much sense to talk about the pheromone of freshly baked bread.

aroma - strong, yet pleasant scent
aura - smell surrounding something
balm - soothing scent
bouquet - blend of floral scents
essence - basic, natural scent
fragrance - pleasant smell
incense - strong scent
odorize - changing the scent
perfume - added scent
pheromone - natural scents
smell - odor, smell, scent
trace - a tiny amount of fragrance
whiff - a fleeting scent

If you're looking for antonyms of the word "scent" instead, you could use such words as stench, stink or reek. These have much more of a negative connotation to them, like how you might talk about the stench of a dumpster in a back alley.

Descriptive Words Set the Mood

It is said that a person’s sense of smell may be the strongest link to memories, even more than sight or hearing. Indeed, scents can bring back the past or can set the mood for new experiences. Take a second to stop and smell the flowers with fun sunflower facts.

With a few poetic lines, a reader can visualize precisely how an author was feeling, down to the very smell in the room. It’s only natural to incorporate adjectives for smell into writing and dialogue. As you continue to create interesting scenes within your writing, utilize this list of descriptive words to help engage readers in your stories. Get ready to bring entire universes to life with your words.

Staff Writer

75 Words That Describe Smells - A Resource For Writers

Writers know that using the senses is a great way to make stories come alive. This post is about how writers could and should use words that describe smells.

Great writers use the five senses when they write. They make their stories real by allowing us to experience what their characters see, smell, hear, taste, and touch.

Using the senses is one of the best ways for writers to learn how to show and not tell.

I have written about words that describe taste, and touch, and sound in previous posts. We also have a post on words that describe colours. In this post, I am writing about words that describe smells.

About Smell

A smell is ‘the pleasant or unpleasant quality of something that you notice when you breathe in through your nose’. To smell is ‘to notice or recognise the smell of something’.

The Power Of Smell

Smell is one of the most powerful senses.

It can transport us back in time in a moment. The sense of smell is more closely linked with memory than any of the other senses.
It also evokes emotions. Smell is one of the most important reasons people are attracted to each other.
It is one of our most important survival mechanisms. A bad smell warns us that we are in danger, for example, when we smell smoke or rotten food.

Writing Tip

Because of this power, writers can use the sense of smell to show a character‘s background, or to move a plot forward.

Quite Interesting:

You can say ‘I smelled’ or ‘I smelt’ if you are using the past tense of the verb. ‘Smelt’ is more commonly used in British spelling and ‘smelled’ is used in US spelling.
If you lose your sense of smell you can feel isolated and cut-off from the world. The loss of the sense of smell can ‘affect one’s ability to form and maintain close personal relationships and can lead to depression’.

General Words Describing Smells

Use these words that describe smells when you are setting a scene.

anosmic – odourless, no smell at all
antiseptic – clean or pure smell that is bland an characterless
aroma – a smell that is strong but pleasant
comforting – pleasant aroma
delicate – subtle, faint, smell that is not overpowering
evocative – a smell that makes you think of something, often something that you experienced in the past
faint – a smell that is not strong
fragrance – a sweet or pleasant odour
heady – strongly aromatic, pungent, rich, intoxicating, spicy, piquant – not a mild smell
heavy – a sweet and strong smell
intoxicating – A smell that exhilarates, disorients, or excites
laden – a literary word that describes a strong smell
odour/odor (US spelling) – a smell
odorous – a strong smell
odourless – with no smell
piquant – stinging, pungent, an aroma that tickles the nose.
powerful – a strong smell
redolent – smelling of something
reek – to smell strongly and unpleasantly
scent – a particular smell, especially a pleasant one
whiff – a slight smell of something

Words That Describe Unpleasant Smells

acrid – a smell that is strong, bitter, and unpleasant in your nose and throat
damp – a wet smell
fetid – an unpleasant smell, usually caused by decay
frowsty – an unpleasant smell caused by a lack of fresh air
funky – a strong and unpleasant smell
fusty – smells old, dusty, or damp
high – an old-fashioned word that describes a strong flavour and smell
malodorous – scented, aromatic, redolent, fragrant, stinking.
musty – unpleasant, stale, and not fresh
nasty – unpleasant smell
nauseating – a smell that causes disgust, loathing, or revulsion
noisome – extremely unpleasant, especially because of being very dirty or having a bad smell
overpowering – very strong smell
pungent – a smell that is strong and sharp
putrid – decaying and smelling very bad
rancid – rancid food is no longer fresh and has an unpleasant smell
rank – a strong unpleasant smell or taste
ripe – a strong or unpleasant smell
sickly – makes you feel sick
smelly – an unpleasant smell
sour – a taste or smell that is no longer fresh
stale – not fresh or pleasant
stench – a very bad smell, especially of decay
stinking – an unpleasant smell
stuffy – a smell caused by an area with no fresh air in it

Words That Describe Pleasant Smells

ambrosial – sweet smelling, fragrant, aromatic
aromatic – perfumed, fragrant, scented, sweet smelling, pungent, usually pleasing
bouquet – the particular smell of a wine or flower
delicious – a pleasant smell
fresh – a pleasant, newly made smell that can be clean, clear, cool, crisp, refreshing, sweet, warm
fragrant – with a pleasant smell
perfumed – pleasant to smell because perfume has been added or used, or it has a natural perfume
rich – a smell that is strong in a pleasant way
savoury/savory (US Spelling) – pleasant to taste – spicy, pungent, flavoursome, and aromatic, salty but not sweet
scented – a pleasant smell
sweet – a pleasant smell that is sweet
tangy – a smell or taste that is strong and bitter in a pleasant way

Words That Smell Like Something

citrusy – characteristic of citrus fruit in scent
coppery – smelling of copper
earthy – smelling like earth
fishy – smelling like fish
floral – smelling of flowers
flowery – a flowery smell reminds you of flowers
fruity – smelling like fruit
gamy – having the distinctive fragrance of game
garlicky – smelling of garlic
leathery – smells like leather
lemony – smells like lemon
medicinal – smells like medicine
minty – smelling of mint
musky – similar to musk in smell
peachy – similar to a peach in colour, taste, or smell
smoky – smelling of smoke
woody – an earthy smell, smelling of wood

Top Tip: Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop.

by Amanda Patterson

If you enjoyed this post, read:

106 Ways To Describe Sounds
20 Words Used To Describe Specific Tastes And Flavours
209 Words To Describe Touch
Three Simple Ways To Show And Not Tell
12 Crucial Things To Remember About Setting
Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language
20 Fun Ways To Find An Idea For A Plot
Where Should You Begin Your Memoir?
Use These 7 Gaslighting Phrases To Make Your Antagonist More Manipulative

Sources:
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/smelling-unpleasant
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/pleasant-smells
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/smelling-like-a-particular-thing
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-smells-and-lack-of-smell
https://grammar.yourdictionary. com/style-and-usage/descriptive-words-for-scents.html
https://world-food-and-wine.com/describing-aroma

Top Tip: Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop.

Posted on: 10th June 2019

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Synonyms and antonyms "smell" - analysis and associations to the word smell. Morphological analysis and declension of words

Translation
Associations
Anagrams
Antonyms
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Morphological analysis
Declensions
Conjugations

Translation of odor

We offer translations of odor into English, German and French.
Implemented using the Yandex.Dictionary service

English
German
French

smell - aroma, perfume, taste
- unpleasant smell - smell unpleasant
- pleasant scent - pleasant scent
- the smell of food - flavor of food
odorless
- odorless liquid
breath - breath

Geruch - smell, aroma, stink
- bad smell
Odor
Hauch - fragrance
Wohlgeruch - fragrance
Hand

odeur - aroma, breath, evaporation, air
- acrid smell0004
- bad breath
- intense scents - parfums intenses
saveur - aroma, taste
exhalaison - evaporation
montant - fragrance

Hyponyms for words smell

stench aroma stench fragrance bitterness
ambergris

Sphere of use of the word smell

Perfumerii -general vocabulary industry engineering

Morphological analysis (part of speech) Words smell

Part of speech:

Noun

Male

0028

inanimate

Case:

nominative

Declension of the noun smell

Case	Question	Unit	Mn. number
Nominative	(who, what?)	smell	smells
Genitive	(who, what?)	odor	smells
Dative	(to whom, what?)	smell	smells
Accusative	(who, what?)	smell	smells
Creative	(by whom, what?)	smell	scents
Prepositional	(about whom, about what?)	smell	smells

Sentences with the word smell

Please help our robot to recognize the mistakes. There are still a lot of them, but with your help they will become much less. Here are some suggestions he made.

1. A clean smell quickly penetrated the naval base

2. The new smell unpleasantly tickled between the magnificent breasts

"Smell" morphological analysis of the word - associations, cases and declension of words

Find words starting with "smell"
Find words containing "smell"
Find words ending with "smell"

Hypo-hyperonymic relations

Adjectives for smell

What is the smell like? We offer a selection of adjectives based on literary works and articles.

unpleasant

sharp

strange

fragrance

bitterness

What kind of smell (morphological analysis)

Word parsing by part of speech, gender, number, animation and case.

Part of speech:

noun

Genus:

male

Number:

single

Animation:

inanimate

Case:

nominative

Declension of the noun smell (what case)

Case declension in singular and plural.

Case	Question	Unit	Mn. number
Nominative	(who, what?)	smell	smells
Genitive	(who, what?)	odor	smells
Dative	(to whom, what?)	smell	smells
Accusative	(who, what?)	smell	smells
Creative	(by whom, what?)	smell	scents
Prepositional	(about whom, about what?)	smell	smells