skunky

American  

[skuhng-kee] / ˈskʌŋ ki /

adjective

skunkier, skunkiest

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a skunk.

   a skunky odor.

2. having a disagreeable or tainted character.

   beer with a skunky taste.

3. Informal. mean and nasty; contemptible.

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Other Word Forms

• skunkiness noun

Etymology

Origin of skunky

First recorded in 1895–1900; skunk + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Running along the trails that whipsaw through the oak forests of the Palo Alto hills , I was hit with a musky, skunky smell that made the hair on my neck stand up.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2024

As Monroe and I walked near it on a recent visit, we were hit by a wall of that unmistakable skunky odor, intermingled with fumes from nearby industrial workshops and freeways.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2023

It was a skunky, 19-16 victory over the lousy Detroit Lions, who self-destructed with four turnovers behind a second-string quarterback.

From Washington Post • Nov. 25, 2019

In Secaucus, where a faint skunky new odor now mixes with the acrid belchings of trucks on the Meadowlands Parkway, Harmony Dispensary is looking forward to progress, however it comes.

From New York Times • Jul. 16, 2018

The fresh, green leaves with their eponymous skunky scent are shiny and new and just starting to grow toward the luxuriant size that makes them handy sunshades.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2017