# odor

/ˈoʊdɝ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/odor
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. a smell

noun · CEFR B2 · American English

a smell, especially one that is strong or easy to notice.

For teachers: a distinctive smell, whether pleasant or unpleasant, though often used for strong or chemical scents.

- The strong odor of cleaning chemicals filled the hospital hallway.
- The investigators noticed a faint, metallic odor lingering in the laboratory, suggesting that a chemical reaction had recently taken place.

Usage: Commonly used in scientific or medical contexts to describe neutral or unpleasant smells.

### 2. body smell

noun · CEFR B2 · American English

the natural smell of a person's body, especially when they have been sweating.

For teachers: the characteristic smell of a human body, typically used in the compound 'body odor' (BO).

- He used deodorant every morning to prevent body odor.
- The locker room was thick with the pungent odor of sweat and damp towels after the championship game.

Usage: Often abbreviated to 'BO' in informal speech.

### 3. reputation or favor

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal · Literary

the way people think about you; your reputation.

For teachers: the state of being held in a certain level of esteem or favor, usually in the phrase 'in bad odor'.

- The politician was in bad odor with the public after the scandal.
- Following the failed merger, the CEO found himself in particularly bad odor with the board of directors.

Teaching tip: This sense is almost exclusively used in the idiom 'in bad odor with someone', meaning to be in trouble or disliked by them.

## Examples

- The strong odor of onions filled the kitchen.
- Natural gas is actually scentless, so companies add a distinct odor to help people detect leaks.
- The damp basement emitted a pungent, musty odor that suggested the presence of mold behind the drywall, necessitating a professional inspection.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.