General Words Describing Smells

English Language I
Trad. Eliana Esquibel
General Words Describing Smells

Use these words that describe smells when you are setting a scene.
1. anosmic – odourless, no smell at all
2. antiseptic – clean or pure smell that is bland an characterless
3. aroma – a smell that is strong but pleasant
4. comforting – pleasant aroma
5. delicate – subtle, faint, smell that is not overpowering
6. evocative – a smell that makes you think of something, often something that you
experienced in the past
7. faint – a smell that is not strong
8. fragrance – a sweet or pleasant odour
9. heady – strongly aromatic, pungent, rich, intoxicating, spicy, piquant – not a mild smell
10. heavy – a sweet and strong smell
11. intoxicating – A smell that exhilarates, disorients, or excites
12. laden – a literary word that describes a strong smell
13. odour/odor (US spelling) – a smell
14. odorous – a strong smell
15. odourless – with no smell
16. piquant – stinging, pungent, an aroma that tickles the nose.
17. powerful – a strong smell
18. redolent – smelling of something
19. reek – to smell strongly and unpleasantly
20. scent – a particular smell, especially a pleasant one
21. whiff – a slight smell of something
Words That Describe Unpleasant Smells
1. acrid – a smell that is strong, bitter, and unpleasant in your nose and throat
2. damp – a wet smell
3. fetid – an unpleasant smell, usually caused by decay
4. frowsty – an unpleasant smell caused by a lack of fresh air
5. funky – a strong and unpleasant smell
6. fusty – smells old, dusty, or damp

75 Words That Describe Smells – A Resource For Writers, (October 1, 2019) Retrieved from
https://writerswrite.co.za/75-words-that-describe-smells/
English Language I
7. high – an old-fashioned word that describes a strong flavour and smell
8. malodorous – scented, aromatic, redolent, fragrant, stinking.
9. musty – unpleasant, stale, and not fresh
10. nasty – unpleasant smell
11. nauseating – a smell that causes disgust, loathing, or revulsion
12. noisome – extremely unpleasant, especially because of being very dirty or having a bad
smell
13. overpowering – very strong smell
14. pungent – a smell that is strong and sharp
15. putrid – decaying and smelling very bad
16. rancid – rancid food is no longer fresh and has an unpleasant smell
17. rank – a strong unpleasant smell or taste
18. ripe – a strong or unpleasant smell
19. sickly – makes you feel sick
20. smelly – an unpleasant smell
21. sour – a taste or smell that is no longer fresh
22. stale – not fresh or pleasant
23. stench – a very bad smell, especially of decay
24. stinking – an unpleasant smell
25. stuffy – a smell caused by an area with no fresh air in it
Words That Describe Pleasant Smells
1. ambrosial – sweet smelling, fragrant, aromatic
2. aromatic – perfumed, fragrant, scented, sweet smelling, pungent, usually pleasing
3. bouquet – the particular smell of a wine or flower
4. delicious – a pleasant smell
5. fresh – a pleasant, newly made smell that can be clean, clear, cool, crisp, refreshing,
sweet, warm
6. fragrant – with a pleasant smell
7. perfumed – pleasant to smell because perfume has been added or used, or it has a
natural perfume
8. rich – a smell that is strong in a pleasant way
English Language I
9. savoury/savory (US Spelling) – pleasant to taste – spicy, pungent, flavoursome, and
aromatic, salty but not sweet
10. scented – a pleasant smell
11. sweet – a pleasant smell that is sweet
12. tangy – a smell or taste that is strong and bitter in a pleasant way
Words That Smell Like Something
1. citrusy – characteristic of citrus fruit in scent
2. coppery – smelling of copper
3. earthy – smelling like earth
4. fishy – smelling like fish
5. floral – smelling of flowers
6. flowery – a flowery smell reminds you of flowers
7. fruity – smelling like fruit
8. gamy – having the distinctive fragrance of game
9. garlicky – smelling of garlic
10. leathery – smells like leather
11. lemony – smells like lemon
12. medicinal – smells like medicine
13. minty – smelling of mint
14. musky – similar to musk in smell
15. peachy – similar to a peach in colour, taste, or smell
16. smoky – smelling of smoke
17. woody – an earthy smell, smelling of wood

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English Language I

Trad. Eliana Esquibel

General Words Describing Smells

1. anosmic – odourless, no smell at all

2. antiseptic – clean or pure smell that is bland an characterless

3. aroma – a smell that is strong but pleasant

4. comforting – pleasant aroma

5. delicate – subtle, faint, smell that is not overpowering

7. faint – a smell that is not strong

8. fragrance – a sweet or pleasant odour

10. heavy – a sweet and strong smell

11. intoxicating – A smell that exhilarates, disorients, or excites

12. laden – a literary word that describes a strong smell

13. odour/odor (US spelling) – a smell

14. odorous – a strong smell

15. odourless – with no smell

16. piquant – stinging, pungent, an aroma that tickles the nose.

17. powerful – a strong smell

18. redolent – smelling of something

19. reek – to smell strongly and unpleasantly

20. scent – a particular smell, especially a pleasant one

21. whiff – a slight smell of something

Words That Describe Unpleasant Smells

2. damp – a wet smell

3. fetid – an unpleasant smell, usually caused by decay

4. frowsty – an unpleasant smell caused by a lack of fresh air

5. funky – a strong and unpleasant smell

6. fusty – smells old, dusty, or damp

8. malodorous – scented, aromatic, redolent, fragrant, stinking.

9. musty – unpleasant, stale, and not fresh

10. nasty – unpleasant smell

11. nauseating – a smell that causes disgust, loathing, or revulsion

13. overpowering – very strong smell

14. pungent – a smell that is strong and sharp

15. putrid – decaying and smelling very bad

17. rank – a strong unpleasant smell or taste

18. ripe – a strong or unpleasant smell

19. sickly – makes you feel sick

20. smelly – an unpleasant smell

21. sour – a taste or smell that is no longer fresh

22. stale – not fresh or pleasant

23. stench – a very bad smell, especially of decay

24. stinking – an unpleasant smell

25. stuffy – a smell caused by an area with no fresh air in it

Words That Describe Pleasant Smells

1. ambrosial – sweet smelling, fragrant, aromatic

2. aromatic – perfumed, fragrant, scented, sweet smelling, pungent, usually pleasing

3. bouquet – the particular smell of a wine or flower

4. delicious – a pleasant smell

6. fragrant – with a pleasant smell

8. rich – a smell that is strong in a pleasant way

10. scented – a pleasant smell

11. sweet – a pleasant smell that is sweet

Words That Smell Like Something

1. citrusy – characteristic of citrus fruit in scent

2. coppery – smelling of copper

3. earthy – smelling like earth

4. fishy – smelling like fish

5. floral – smelling of flowers

6. flowery – a flowery smell reminds you of flowers