odorous

American  

[oh-der-uhs] / ˈoʊ dər əs /

adjective

1. odoriferous.

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odorous British  

/ ˈəʊdərəs /

adjective

1. having or emitting a characteristic smell or odour

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Other Word Forms

• nonodorous adjective
• nonodorously adverb
• nonodorousness noun
• odorosity noun
• odorously adverb
• odorousness noun
• preodorous adjective
• unodorous adjective
• unodorously adverb
• unodorousness noun

Etymology

Origin of odorous

First recorded in 1540–50, odorous is from the Latin word odōrus “fragrant.” See odor, -ous

Explanation

Anything that has a strong scent can be described as odorous. Usually if you say something is odorous you mean that it smells unpleasant — like an odorous blue cheese made from unpasteurized milk. The adjective odorous comes from the Latin odorus, meaning “fragrant.” Typically, you wouldn’t say, “those roses you sent me are so odorous!” Although that comment could be literally correct, the implication would be insulting to the giver of said roses. More common uses of odorous might include: odorous gym mats, odorous garbage can, odorous gas fumes — you get the picture. Or rather the stench.

Example Sentences

One of his recurring subjects was meat, from flayed rabbits to rayfish, with odorous side effects.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

The incandescent bulb’s bright light replaced the dim and often odorous illumination of oil and gas lamps that brought the risk of fire and, in the case of gas, of suffocation and explosions.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

Still, the stockings were certainly odorous enough to entice mosquitoes.

From Scientific American • Oct. 18, 2022

A chemical leak at an industrial facility in Atwater Village on Thursday prompted a hazardous material response and sent a massive cloud of odorous smoke into the air over Northeast L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2022

“Balderdash. Is this because I hissed at that odorous dog?”

From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate