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Glite Dictionary
redolent of

redolent of

2 7.5
A strong smell or feeling that makes you remember something
  • idiom
  • /ˈrɛdələnt ʌv/
translation icon : evocador de
  • Her best wartime short stories have this same sense of houses and rooms which are redolent of the world they hold at bay and contain: spaces that explain their inhabitants and propel their stories.

Swings creaked and shadows leapt like sheep over fence railings, the air redolent of damp coffee grounds and worms.

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Examples

  • Trees shed pollen, and the air was redolent of apple and pear blossoms.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • As I walked through the bakery, the air was redolent of fresh bread and pastries.

  • "Okay," he said in a voice redolent of Jersey, "I'm giving you guys another sheet to look over."

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Why do people persist in suddenly emerging from history, redolent of past failures?

    Fiction book (1990)

  • It's mists redolent of the hearty souls of men who have gone to sea.

    Limbo (1999)

  • The wind will lick her face, and the air will be redolent of blossoms and sticky spores.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • A prairie wind blew warm and sweet from the west, redolent of tall grasses and sugar in the stems, tasting of summer flowers.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Swings creaked and shadows leapt like sheep over fence railings, the air redolent of damp coffee grounds and worms.

    Harvard University

  • In certain respects, the contemporary Chinese clientelist network is redolent of the medieval European prebend, whereby the Church granted its local clergy the right to share in the revenues derived from operating a particular cathedral.

    Academic text (2014)

  • In "Two Gallants," the harp, symbol of Irish nationhood, seems forlorn outside the Kildare Street club, which is redolent of Ascendancy power.

    Academic text (1991)

Synonyms

pungent
vsredolent of
18 4.8

Having a strong, sharp smell or taste that can be unpleasant

is used more for evoking a particular mood or memory than for taste
scented
vsredolent of
13 2.3

A thing like soap or a candle that has a pleasant smell because perfume was added

is used more to indicate something recalls a quality or mood not just added fragrance
aromatic
vsredolent of
12 4.1

Having a strong, pleasant smell like spices or flowers

can also mean something evokes a quality or memory rather than only pleasant smell
redolent
vsredolent of
2 7.6

Having a strong smell of flowers or baking

is used to evoke a memory or atmosphere rather than only smell
odorous
vsredolent of
1 5.5

Having a smell you can notice

is often used to mean something brings a strong memory or atmosphere
odoriferous
vsredolent of
  • Formal
1 9.3

Giving off a strong, often unpleasant smell you notice quickly

is used more generally to mean something evokes a quality or mood
odiferous
vsredolent of
1 8.5

Having a strong smell that is often unpleasant

is broader used also to describe memories or an evocative atmosphere
strong-smelling
vsredolent of
1 3.5

Gives off a strong smell that you notice quickly

is often used to mean something strongly reminds you of a quality or atmosphere
strong-scented
vsredolent of
3.7

Having a very strong smell that you notice easily

is also used to suggest a mood or memory beyond literal smell
perfumy
vsredolent of
4.9

A strong smell like perfume that you notice easily

is used to suggest an atmosphere or memory rather than only perfume like smell

Antonyms

foul
24 3.0

Having a very bad smell or taste

odorless
  • US
11 3.0

Not having any smell

How Reminiscent

redolent of
2 7.5
evocative
23 6.7
suggestive
18 5.2

Surface Forms

redolent of positive

Morphology

redolent + of

The meaning ‘having a strong smell of / strongly reminiscent of’ follows directly from the adjective 'redolent' (strongly suggestive or evocative) combined with the linking preposition 'of'; there is no idiomatic shift beyond the constituent meanings. This adjective+preposition pattern is a standard, cross-linguistic construction, so a learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrase redolent of comes from old words that meant 'to smell', so imagine a room full of a strong scent that seems to be made of that smell. That's why when something is redolent of spices or memories, it 'smells' of them or strongly 'reminds' you of them.