stench
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a very strong, bad smell that is hard to ignore.
a powerful and offensive odour, typically resulting from decay, stagnation, or chemical waste.
Simple“The stench of rotting garbage filled the alleyway on the hot summer day.”
In context“As the investigators entered the abandoned warehouse, they were met by the overwhelming stench of stagnant water and industrial decay.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
a bad quality or feeling that surrounds a situation, like a bad smell.
a pervasive atmosphere of corruption, failure, or moral decay.
Simple“The stench of the political scandal stayed with the party for years.”
In context“The stench of desperation was palpable in the boardroom as the executives realised their hostile takeover bid had failed.”
“Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman reports there’s now a stench of bodies, with over 400 people still missing.”
From Middle English stench, from Old English stenċ (“stench, odor, fragrance”), from Proto-Germanic stankwiz (“smell, fragrance, odor”), from Proto-Indo-European stengʷ- (“to push, thrust”). Cognate with Dutch stank (“stench, odor”), German Stank, Gestank (“stench, odor, smell”), Danish stank (“stench”), Swedish stank (“stench”), Icelandic stækja (“stench”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.