Skip to main content
stinky

stinky

26 3.8
Very bad or of poor quality
  • adjective
  • /ˈstɪŋki/
  • Informal
translation icon : malo
  • It was super super stinky and very sticky feeling.
  • stinky little
  • stinky old
  • stinky ass

Do you want to have a stinky morning?

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Do you want to have a stinky morning?

  • Zoe has been touching my camera with her stinky fish hands.

  • Nothing is worse for your rep than driving a stinky car.

  • My God, that smells like someone's stinky armpits.

  • Utter pops, buttermilk, cottage cheese and stinky cheese.

  • The kitchen had a stinky odor that made everyone feel nauseous.

  • After the soccer game, the kids' shoes were absolutely stinky.

  • He avoided entering the bathroom because it smelled incredibly stinky.

Synonyms

lousy
vsstinky
  • Informal
562 4.1

Very bad or mean and not liked by people

is informal and negative but sometimes less blunt
nasty
vsstinky
282 1.0

Very dirty and covered with things that smell bad

is broader negative judgement rather than dirtiness focus
crappy
vsstinky
  • NSFW
176 7.5

Very bad or of low quality

is informal negative but often milder in tone
rotten
vsstinky
160 1.0

Very bad and unpleasant to experience

describes general poor quality rather than spoilage
shitty
vsstinky
  • Offensive
149 9.9

Very bad or low quality, used to show strong dislike

is negative and informal but not necessarily vulgar
smelly
vsstinky
118 1.0

Giving off a strong, unpleasant stink

is an informal judgment about general badness, not smell only
icky
vsstinky
  • Informal
38 7.1

Sticky and unpleasant to touch or smell

is an informal negative about overall quality instead
musty
vsstinky
29 3.9

A stale, slightly damp smell like old things kept without fresh air

is an informal complaint about general badness, not mustiness
yucky
vsstinky
  • Informal
22 6.8

Not pleasant to taste or smell

is a general informal negative not limited to senses
funky
vsstinky
  • Informal
18 6.9

Has a bad smell

is informal negative about general poor condition or quality
fetid
vsstinky
8 7.9

A very strong, bad smell like rotten food or trash

is informal poor-quality criticism rather than a smell report
stinking
vsstinky
  • Informal
7 5.3

Very bad or unpleasant

is informal negative but less extreme in emphasis
foul-smelling
vsstinky
7 4.1

A very strong stink that makes you want to move away

is general informal disapproval, not focused only on smell
odiferous
vsstinky
1 8.5

Having a strong smell that is often unpleasant

is a casual negative remark not focused on scent alone
mildewy
vsstinky
1 4.5

Smelling damp and musty, like old books

is broader informal disapproval, not specifically mildew-related
ill-smelling
vsstinky
1 4.4

That has a strong, unpleasant odor

is general informal criticism not limited to scent
icky-poo
vsstinky
  • Informal
9.9

Feels unpleasant and gross, often sticky or smelly

is informal negative but more neutral, not playful slang
stinkin
vsstinky
  • Informal
6.1

Giving off a very bad smell

is informal and negative but covers more than smell
rank
vsstinky
6.7

Having a very strong unpleasant smell or taste

is a casual negative judgment beyond sensory offense
reechy
vsstinky
  • Archaic
9.9

Having a strong bad smell that makes you move away

is wider negative language, not restricted to smell
rank-smelling
vsstinky
7.1

Having a very strong, unpleasant smell like rotten food

is informal negative evaluation, not only about rancidity
ill-scented
vsstinky
6.3

Having a strong, unpleasant smell

is broad negative language about overall quality or state
fusty
vsstinky
9.5

Having a stale, stuffy smell as if it has not been aired

is a general informal negative not focused on staleness
niffy
vsstinky
  • UK
9.9

Smelling strongly of something unpleasant

is general informal negative not tied to regional smell terms

Antonyms

1.0

Very good and better than most similar things

111 3.5

Of very high quality and extremely good

Compounds

stinky squid
  • Specialized
9.9

A small mushroom that looks like a squid and smells bad to attract flies

How Bad

terrible
1.0
awful
1.0
stinky
  • Informal
26 3.8
bad
1.0
poor
838 1.0

Surface Forms

stinky positive
stinkier comparative
stinkiest superlative

Morphology

stinky = stink (semi-transparent) = stink + y

The adjective is formed regularly, but the sense 'very bad/poor quality' is a colloquial metaphorical extension from smell to evaluation.

Etymology

The word stinky first described bad smells, but people began to use it for anything 'very bad' or 'unpleasant' by comparing a bad smell to bad quality. A helpful way to remember this is that when something 'stinks' it is bad, so stinky can mean 'full of bad quality'.