moldiness

6.8

A bad, stale smell or taste on food and in rooms that shows rot

noun
/ˈmoʊldɪnəs/

: moho

She noticed the distinct moldiness of the cheese and decided to throw it away.

Examples

The moldiness of the bread made it inedible.
After weeks of humidity, the moldiness in the basement became unbearable.
Inside the house, he could feel the moldiness and the smell of cold, stagnant air.

Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

stench

vsmoldiness

80 3.5

A very bad strong smell that makes you feel sick

is milder and specific to old, stale damp scent rather than sheer intensity

musty smell

vsmoldiness

2 3.4

A bad, stale smell from damp or old things

is broader, applying to the general old, stale damp quality

stale air

vsmoldiness

2 2.8

Air that smells old and feels heavy

focuses more narrowly on the specific old, stale damp smell quality

mustiness

vsmoldiness

1 7.2

A stale, slightly moldy smell or taste in old damp things

is the general term for that same old, stale damp quality

musty air

vsmoldiness

1 4.2

Air that smells stale and damp in a closed room

refers to the same damp, aged smell but not only in air

staleness

vsmoldiness

1 3.9

Food, air, or other things that are no longer fresh and smell bad

is the sensory smell or taste aspect of that loss of freshness

foulness

vsmoldiness

1 7.2

A strong, very bad smell from sewage or rotten garbage

is specific to old, stale damp smells rather than any offensive odor

stinkiness

vsmoldiness

1 4.3

A strong unpleasant smell that makes people move away

is about being old and damp smelling rather than simply very smelly

must

vsmoldiness

Archaic

9.1

A bad, stale smell from old, damp things

covers that same aged, damp smell or taste rather than other bad smells

fustiness

vsmoldiness

8.6

A stale, musty smell in a room or object

is focused on the sensory quality of being old and damp rather than fashion

malodorousness

vsmoldiness

8.9

A strong, unpleasant smell that is easy to notice

relates specifically to old, stale damp smells rather than strong bad smells

whiffy odor

vsmoldiness

Informal

7.4

A strong, unpleasant smell that people dislike

describes the old, stale damp quality rather than general offensiveness

Antonyms

purity

25 3.1

The state of having no dirt or other things mixed in

freshness

15 1.0

The state of being new and clean, not stale or spoiled

How Moldy

moldiness

6.8

mustiness

1 7.2

staleness

1 3.9

freshness

15 1.0

Surface Forms

moldiness singular

moldinesses plural

Morphology

moldiness = moldy (transparent) = mold + iness

The suffix '-ness' is transparently used to form a noun indicating a state or quality from the adjective 'moldy'.

Etymology

The word moldiness comes from the old word mold, which named the fuzzy growth or rot that appears on old, wet food and other things. So, moldiness is the quality of being 'moldy', meaning it smells or tastes old, stale, or is covered with that fuzzy growth.