Word
stinking
Phoneticsstink·ing
US/ˈstɪŋkɪŋ/
UK/stˈɪŋkɪŋ/
Definition
adj. having a very strong and unpleasant smell. It is also used in a funny way to mean someone is extremely rich.
adj. emitting a strong, offensive odour. In informal contexts, it functions as an intensifier, particularly in the phrase 'stinking rich' to describe extreme wealth.
Examples
“The kitchen bin is stinking after three days.”
“He left his stinking gym clothes in the locker for a week, much to the annoyance of his teammates.”
“The investigation revealed that while the company claimed to be struggling, the directors were actually stinking rich from offshore investments.”
Examples
simple
“The kitchen bin is stinking after three days.”
contextual
“He left his stinking gym clothes in the locker for a week, much to the annoyance of his teammates.”
complex
“The investigation revealed that while the company claimed to be struggling, the directors were actually stinking rich from offshore investments.”
Usage
Often used as an intensifier before 'rich'. When describing a smell, it can follow linking verbs like 'be' or 'smell'.
Pitfall
The room was stinking of smoke.
The room stank of smoke.
While 'stinking' is a common adjective, learners often use it as a continuous verb form where the simple past 'stank' or 'stunk' is more natural for a completed state.
Etymology
From Middle English stynkynge, stinkinge, stinkinde, stinkende, stynkande, stynkand, from Old English stincende, from Proto-Germanic stinkwandz (“stinking”), present participle of Proto-Germanic stinkwaną (“to stink”), equivalent to stink + -ing. Cognate with Dutch stinkend (“stinking, stinky”), German stinkend (“stinking, stinky”), Danish stinkende (“stinking, stinky”), Norwegian stinkende (“stinking, stinky”).
From Middle English stinkinge, stynkynge, equivalent to stink + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/stinking