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stinky

stinky

33 3.8
Very bad or of poor quality
  • adjective
  • /ˈstɪŋki/
  • Informal
: malo
  • It was super super stinky and very sticky feeling.
  • stinky little
  • stinky old
  • stinky ass

Do you want to have a stinky morning?

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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
421 4.1

Very bad or mean and not liked by people

is informal and negative but sometimes less blunt
shitty
vsstinky
  • Offensive
273 9.9

Very bad or low quality, used to show strong dislike

is negative and informal but not necessarily vulgar
rotten
vsstinky
191 1.0

Very bad and unpleasant to experience

describes general poor quality rather than spoilage
crappy
vsstinky
  • NSFW
187 7.5

Very bad or of low quality

is informal negative but often milder in tone
nasty
vsstinky
146 1.0

Very dirty and covered with things that smell bad

is broader negative judgement rather than dirtiness focus
stinking
vsstinky
  • Informal
108 5.3

Very bad or unpleasant

is informal negative but less extreme in emphasis
smelly
vsstinky
93 1.0

Giving off a strong, unpleasant stink

is an informal judgment about general badness, not smell only
icky
vsstinky
  • Informal
37 7.1

Sticky and unpleasant to touch or smell

is an informal negative about overall quality instead
musty
vsstinky
25 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
21 6.8

Not pleasant to taste or smell

is a general informal negative not limited to senses
funky
vsstinky
  • Informal
15 6.9

Has a bad smell

is informal negative about general poor condition or quality
rank
vsstinky
11 6.7

Having a very strong unpleasant smell or taste

is a casual negative judgment beyond sensory offense
foul-smelling
vsstinky
9 4.1

A very strong stink that makes you want to move away

is general informal disapproval, not focused only on smell
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
rank-smelling
vsstinky
1 7.1

Having a very strong, unpleasant smell like rotten food

is informal negative evaluation, not only about rancidity
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
stinkin
vsstinky
  • Informal
1 6.1

Giving off a very bad smell

is informal and negative but covers more than smell
reechy
vsstinky
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Having a strong bad smell that makes you move away

is wider negative language, not restricted to smell
fusty
vsstinky
1 9.5

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

is a general informal negative not focused on staleness
icky-poo
vsstinky
  • Informal
1 9.9

Feels unpleasant and gross, often sticky or smelly

is informal negative but more neutral, not playful slang
ill-scented
vsstinky
6.3

Having a strong, unpleasant smell

is broad negative language about overall quality or state
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
1 9.9

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

How Bad

terrible
∞ 1.0
awful
914 1.0
stinky
  • Informal
33 3.8
bad
∞ 1.0
poor
555 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'.