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sewery

sewery

9.6
Smelling very bad and looking dirty
  • adjective
  • /ˈsuːəri/
translation icon : hediondo
  • The abandoned building had a sewery smell that made it unbearable to enter.

Examples

  • After the flood, the streets were left with a sewery appearance, covered in muck and grime.

  • His hotel was on the Second Kordon, a block back from the tumult of the waterfront and the sewery stench that occasionally spoiled the summer's romance.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • They avoided the alley due to its sewery odor, which was strong and lingering.

Synonyms

disgusting
vssewery
531 1.3

Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making you feel sick

is more narrowly about foul odor combined with grime
nasty
vssewery
282 1.0

Very dirty and covered with things that smell bad

is specifically tied to foul odor and grimy appearance here
gross
vssewery
  • Informal
280 2.3

Very unpleasant and making you feel sick or disgusted

in this sense is more about specific foul smell and look
filthy
vssewery
183 1.5

Very dirty and covered with mud or dirt

in addition often smells foul as well as being very dirty
vile
vssewery
157 5.0

Very bad and morally wrong

in this use focuses on physical foul smell and dirty look
smelly
vssewery
118 1.0

Giving off a strong, unpleasant stink

adds visible grime or filth, not only an odor
stinky
vssewery
  • Informal
26 3.8

Very bad or of poor quality

in this sense implies foul odor plus dirty visual signs
grimy
vssewery
22 3.7

Covered in thick dirt that makes something look and feel dirty

also carries idea of strong bad odor as well as dirt
yucky
vssewery
  • Informal
22 6.8

Not pleasant to taste or smell

is the same idea but with stronger association to filth
funky
vssewery
  • Informal
18 6.9

Has a bad smell

also implies dirty surfaces as well as a bad smell
putrid
vssewery
12 7.0

Rotting and smelling very bad

has both foul odor and visibly dirty appearance
squalid
vssewery
9 7.1

Very dirty and unpleasant because of poverty or neglect

adds a strong foul odor alongside the neglected dirtiness
fetid
vssewery
8 7.9

A very strong, bad smell like rotten food or trash

combines a powerful bad odor with dirty visible look
stinking
vssewery
  • Informal
7 5.3

Very bad or unpleasant

implies both foul odor and visibly dirty look
foul-smelling
vssewery
7 4.1

A very strong stink that makes you want to move away

also shows visible dirt or filth, not only odor
scummy
vssewery
2 5.6

Covered with a thin dirty film on the surface

also suggests bad smell together with the filmy surface
odiferous
vssewery
1 8.5

Having a strong smell that is often unpleasant

is more about both strong odor and dirty appearance
unsavory
vssewery
  • US
1 6.5

Something that smells or tastes bad

in this context implies both bad smell and dirty look
1 3.8

Having a bad smell that people do not like

refers specifically to both foul smell and dirty appearance
vomity
vssewery
9.3

Having a bad smell, taste, or look that makes you want to throw up

adds grimy visual signs as well as nauseating odor
reechy
vssewery
  • Archaic
9.9

Having a strong bad smell that makes you move away

usually includes dirty appearance as well as the smell
icky-poo
vssewery
  • Informal
9.9

Feels unpleasant and gross, often sticky or smelly

is similar but implies actual foul odor and dirty look

Antonyms

1.0

Free from dirt or harmful things

314 1.0

Clean air or water that has no harmful things

How Foul

sewery
9.6
putrid
12 7.0
foul
24 3.0
musty
29 3.9
stale
54 1.1

Surface Forms

sewery positive

Morphology

sewery = sewer (semi-transparent) = sewer + y

The structure sewer + -y is clear, but the homograph 'sewer' (one who sews) and potential parsing as sew + -ery may confuse learners.

Etymology

Sewery comes from sewer, meaning 'drain', and the ending -y, meaning 'full of' or 'having the quality of', as in sewage. So sewery describes something that smells or looks like a sewer and is unpleasant.