stench /stentʃ/ BrE AmE noun [countable usually singular]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: stenc ]
1 . a very strong bad smell SYN stink :
the stench of urine
2 . something unpleasant that makes you believe that something very bad and dishonest is happening
stench of
a government filled with the stench of corruption
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ smell something that you can recognize by breathing in through your nose:
the smell from the kitchen
|
What’s that awful smell?
|
the sweet smell of roses
▪ whiff something that you smell for a short time:
He caught a whiff of her perfume.
|
a whiff of apple blossom
▪ scent a smell – used especially about the pleasant smell from flowers, plants, or fruit. Also used about the smell left by an animal:
The rose had a beautiful scent.
|
Cats use their scent to mark their territory.
|
the sharp, dying scent of autumn
|
the heady scent (=strong scent) of magnolias
▪ fragrance/perfume a pleasant smell, especially from flowers, plants, or fruit. Fragrance and perfume are more formal than scent :
the sweet perfume of the orange blossoms
|
Each mango has its own special fragrance.
▪ aroma formal a pleasant smell from food or coffee:
the aroma of fresh coffee
|
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of mince pies.
▪ odour British English , odor American English formal an unpleasant smell:
An unpleasant odour was coming from the dustbins.
|
the odor of stale tobacco smoke
▪ pong British English informal an unpleasant smell:
What’s that horrible pong?
▪ stink/stench a very strong and unpleasant smell:
I couldn’t get rid of the stink of sweat.
|
The toilet gave off a terrible stench.