pungent smell
1
3.3
- noun
- /ˈpʌn.dʒənt smɛl/
- "It has a pungent smell," he said.
- pungent smell of smoke
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Examples
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The agreeable, pungent smell of smoke from the inn's chimney almost physically pulled her up the steep incline and into the cozy interior where a few locals drank and shared stories.
Fiction book (1990) -
Untangling himself, he stumbled into the darkened room where the pungent smell of urine attacked his nose.
Fiction book (2001) -
Maybe it was that pungent smell in there.
Fiction book (1991) -
Dan caught a strange, pungent smell once he removed his helmet.
Fiction book (2001) -
Fresh earth rose up to cover it, rich and glistening, filling the air with a pungent smell.
Fiction book (1991) -
There was a pungent smell of the plastic shower curtain and disintegrating soap.
Fiction book (2002) -
The pungent smell of gun oil, an aroma that often makes my wife turn up her sensitive nose, permeates the room.
Fiction book (2002) -
A pungent smell, full and seductive, rose from her head, and her fair braids shone with a new intensity.
Fiction book (1994) -
Inhaling the pungent smell of pickles and smoked mackerel, I was reminded of my grandmother and home and had to bite down hard on my lower lip to keep from crying.
Fiction book (2000) -
As she entered the kitchen, the pungent smell of burnt food hit her immediately.
Synonyms
145
1.9
A strong or noticeable smell, often unpleasant like smoke
80
3.5
A very bad strong smell that makes you feel sick
1
7.0
A strong sharp taste or smell that makes your eyes water
1
2.9
A strong, biting taste or smell that stings the nose
1
7.2
A strong, very bad smell from sewage or rotten garbage
1
9.0
A very strong bad smell that makes you feel sick
1
4.3
A strong unpleasant smell that makes people move away
A strong, sharp taste or smell that can be unpleasant for some people
A strong, bitter smell or taste that burns the nose
A strong sharp taste or smell that feels unpleasant
A strong, unpleasant smell that is easy to notice
A strong, unpleasant smell that people dislike
A strong, nasty smell like rotten food that makes you feel sick
Antonyms
How Pungent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'pungent' explicitly denotes a strong, sharp (often unpleasant) taste or odor, and 'smell' denotes an odor; their combination yields a straightforward description of a strong, sharp odor. This adjective+noun composition is fully compositional and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand the phrase.
Etymology
Pungent smell comes from an old word that meant 'to prick' or 'to sting'. Imagine a smell that seems to prick your nose or eyes, sharp and strong, so today pungent smell means a very strong, often unpleasant scent.