stench

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /stɛntʃ/ UK /stɛntʃ/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
a strong and very unpleasant smell

The stench of rotting fish hung over the abandoned dock.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a strong and very... stink reek odourfetormalodourpong whiff

Opposites

fragrance perfume aroma scent

Word family

Related forms stink stinking

Etymology

From Old English 'stenc', a smell or odour (originally neutral, later pejorative), from the same Germanic base as 'stink'.

stenc Old English *stankwiz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

# stench

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** stɛntʃ
**IPA (UK):** stɛntʃ

## Meanings
1. a strong and very unpleasant smell

## Examples
- The stench of rotting fish hung over the abandoned dock.

## Synonyms
- stink
- reek
- odour
- fetor
- malodour
- pong
- whiff

## Antonyms
- fragrance
- perfume
- aroma
- scent

## Related Forms
- stink
- stinking

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: stenc
- Root: *stankwiz

## Etymology
From Old English 'stenc', a smell or odour (originally neutral, later pejorative), from the same Germanic base as 'stink'.

## AI Etymology
Stench is from Old English 'stenc', a smell or odour (originally neutral, later pejorative), from the same Germanic base as 'stink'. Important recorded forms include stenc (Old English) and *stankwiz (Proto-Germanic). The semantic development is already visible in the history: an older concrete or specialized use was extended into the modern meaning rather than replaced by a separate origin. In current use it covers a strong and very unpleasant smell. The wider family includes related words such as stink and stinking.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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stench

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