stinker C2+ Topic:People & Society US /ˈstɪŋkɚ/ UK /ˈstɪŋkə/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a contemptible person or thing, or something that stinks That last exam question was a real stinker. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a contemptible person or... scoundrelcadrotterwretchvillainblackguard Word family Related forms stinkstinkingstench Etymology AI details From the verb 'stink' (Old English 'stincan', to emit a smell) plus the agentive suffix '-er'; the contemptuous personal sense developed colloquially. stincan Old English View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # stinker **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈstɪŋkɚ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈstɪŋkə/ ## Meanings 1. a contemptible person or thing, or something that stinks ## Examples - That last exam question was a real stinker. ## Synonyms - scoundrel - cad - rotter - wretch - villain - blackguard ## Related Forms - stink - stinking - stench ## Roots and Affixes - Root: stincan ## Etymology From the verb 'stink' (Old English 'stincan', to emit a smell) plus the agentive suffix '-er'; the contemptuous personal sense developed colloquially. ## AI Etymology Stinker is from the verb 'stink' (Old English 'stincan', to emit a smell) plus the agentive suffix '-er'; the contemptuous personal sense developed colloquially. Important recorded forms include stincan (Old English). Morphologically, the word preserves a built structure whose named elements carry the historical sense into English. 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 contemptible person or thing, or something that stinks. The wider family includes related words such as stink, stinking, and stench. ## Topics - People & Society - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown