odoriferous

Odoriferous means having a strong smell.

Describing something as odoriferous doesn’t always mean it smells bad, but it usually does. The same thing goes for its close synonym odorous. Both are based on the word odor, meaning a smell.

Example: After gym class, the locker room turns into an odoriferous chamber of sweat and smelly socks.

The first records of odoriferous in English come from the 1400s. It comes from the Medieval Latin odōriferus and is composed of the root odor and the suffix -ferous, meaning “bearing or producing” (as seen in coniferous).

For much of its history, odoriferous was used to describe nicely smelling things, like flowers and spices. It has since come to be used in descriptions of any strong smell, but mostly ones that are very bad. Rotten eggs and skunk spray are infamously odoriferous, for example. Sometimes, the meaning is extended to describe something that one considers bad (much like saying that stinks to mean that’s terrible).

Odoriferous is typically used in the same way as the shorter (but less-fun-to-say) odorous. Both are sometimes confused with the adjective odious, which means “hateful,” “offensive,” or “disgusting” (though something that’s odoriferous could also be described as odious).

What are some other forms related to odoriferous?

• odoriferously (adverb)
• odoriferousness (noun)
• odoriferosity (noun)
• nonodoriferous (adjective)
• nonodoriferously (adverb)
• nonodoriferousness (noun)
• unodoriferous (adjective)
• unodoriferously (adverb)
• unodoriferousness (noun)

What are some synonyms for odoriferous?

• odorous
• smelly
• fragrant
• aromatic
• pungent

What are some words that share a root or word element with odoriferous? 

• odor
• deodorant
• vociferous

What are some words that often get used in discussing odoriferous?

• malodorous
• stinky
• stink
• smell
• strong
• bad
• reek

What are some words odoriferous may be commonly confused with?

• odious

By definition, odoriferous just means “having a strong smell.” But it’s frequently used to describe something whose smell is strong and really bad.

Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is a common North American mammal, including this feisty juvenile. Highly recognizable due to the distinctive black and white fur. They may be cute, but they have an oily, odoriferous means of protecting themselves! (hl) #WednesdayWildlife pic.twitter.com/oYr30HylrL

— Petrified Forest NP (@PetrifiedNPS) March 13, 2019

^S brushed a little bicarb through the 3LT's coat to make him less odoriferous. (Well, you know what cats are like.) Now he's like a powder puff with whiskers! 😆

— The UK Wafflers (@TheUKWafflers) March 5, 2020

People who bring odoriferous bags of McDonald's on airplanes. Bad people? Or the worst people? Discuss.

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) December 21, 2015

Is odoriferous used correctly in the following sentence?

Please take out the trash before it becomes odoriferous.