👃 To detect a scent 👃 Ability to detect scents 🦨 To have an odor 🦨 An odor 🕵️ To sense suspicion 🌫️ A feeling in the air 💻 A software problem

smell

54 5.6

A feeling in a place that suggests a situation or mood

noun
/smɛl/

: aire

It will always be the smells in my heart.

Even empty smells of chaos and night and desire.

Examples

The point, of course, is that the smell of theater was in the air, especially in 1734.

Academic text (1996)
- Sure, I just like the look and the smell of a book.

The Midas Touch (2020)
I can still remember the rooms, the smell, the break room.
That there is the smell of hard times.

Shoot Out (1971)
It's the smell of victory, baby!

Kicking & Screaming (2005)
These guys are giving you the smell of autumn.
Lord, I love the smell of roasting coffee.

Albert Nobbs (2011)
The air was full of the smell of unease; there was no saying who it came from.

Fiction book (1992)
The town of his boyhood draws him like the smell of something hot, not tasted in years.

Fiction book (1990)
The unexpected smell of fresh bread filled the air, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Synonyms

spirit

vssmell

506 4.1

The basic character of a time, place, or action

is sensed as an overall intuitive atmosphere rather than deliberate intended meaning

tone

vssmell

497 3.5

How a person's voice shows their feelings or attitude

is the broader intuitive mood around a situation rather than explicit expression

atmosphere

vssmell

319 3.2

The mood or feeling in a place

is more about an impression grasped intuitively rather than a direct mood label

feeling

vssmell

267 1.4

The mood or atmosphere in a place

is an overall impression grasped by intuition rather than direct observation

air

vssmell

230 6.8

A feeling around a person, place, or thing that others notice

is specifically sensed by intuition rather than by literal physical sense

feel

vssmell

168 3.4

The general atmosphere of a place that people notice

is focused on an intuitive sense around situations rather than concrete reaction

flavor

vssmell

105 3.1

The general impression a place or event gives

is more about a subtle intuitive impression rather than explicit characteristic description

whiff

vssmell

60 3.2

A short puff of air that carries a smell

is an atmosphere felt by intuition rather than a physical short gust

a whiff of

vssmell

23 4.4

A small, faint smell you notice briefly

is an intuitive surrounding impression rather than a literal brief trace

Idioms

to pass the smell test

Informal

3 7.8

Seem honest and believable when people check it

to stop and smell the roses

Informal

3 4.6

To take time to enjoy small pleasant things in life

to wake up and smell the coffee

Informal

3 7.3

Realize an unpleasant truth and stop ignoring it

to smell blood

Informal

2 7.4

To see someone's weakness and act quickly to get an advantage

to smell fishy

Informal

2 6.8

To seem suspicious or dishonest

to smell like a rose

Informal

2 6.1

To appear in a good way after a problem

smell of the lamp

9.9

A sign that someone works late and studies hard, or the smell of an oil lamp

to smell the barn

Informal

9.7

To feel the end of a trip or task is near

to smell like a tart's handbag

NSFW

9.9

To have a strong, unpleasant scent of old heavy perfume and dampness

smell you later

Informal

9.9

To say goodbye in a playful, joking way

Compounds

sense of smell

27 2.8

The ability to notice and tell scents apart with the nose

smell test

4 3.8

A quick check to see if something seems right, sometimes by its scent

new-car smell

3 3.7

A pleasant smell inside a brand new car

musty smell

2 3.4

A bad, stale smell from damp or old things

fishy smell

2 2.6

A strong unpleasant smell like fish

pungent smell

1 3.3

A strong sharp smell that makes your eyes water

lingering smell

1 3.2

A smell that stays for a long time

smell of success

1 3.9

A feeling that you have done well and feel proud

new-car smell

1 4.1

A feeling that something is fresh and new, not a real smell

dank smell

5.1

An unpleasant damp smell in places like basements or cellars

dank smell

NSFW

9.6

A strong smell of cannabis smoke or buds

pestilential smell

Literature

9.4

A very strong bad air that makes you think of rotting things or disease

smell-o-vision

9.9

A way to make people smell scents while watching films or TV

yucky smell

Informal

5.6

A strong, nasty smell like rotten food that makes you feel sick

How Strong

mood

599 2.1

atmosphere

319 3.2

smell

54 5.6

aura

73 6.3

vibe

Informal

200 6.4

whiff

60 3.2

Surface Forms

smell singular

smells plural

Etymology

Smell was also used as a picture word: people compare a feeling in the air to a scent, so smell can mean the general 'feeling' or atmosphere around a place or event.