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miasmic

miasmic

1 9.9
Full of a strong bad smell that makes the air feel unhealthy
  • adjective
  • /maɪˈæzmɪk/
translation icon : miasmático
  • After the storm, the miasmic air filled the village, causing many to feel unwell.

Examples

  • The room was filled with a miasmic stench that drove everyone to open the windows.

  • A miasmic fear of "terrorists" comes out of the corporate media and touches millions.

    Blog text (10)
  • The light breaks through the darkness over me, and looking up, I see in the black and brilliant orange two of them floating amid the miasmic colors.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • At the end of a miasmic New York summer, I went to see the hillbilly actor and charter member of Alcoholics Anonymous in Bellevue Hospital.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • But there is a miasmic grey region in between, of marginally provable with difficulty merging into outright unprovable.

    Blog text (30)
  • It's a sort of miasmic depression that settles over me when aspects of my life are not going well for any reason, and which I compare to the desolation of a racetrack late on getaway day, the last one of any meet.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Budd, along with Dr. John Snow, publicly advocated a theory of germ contagion versus the then more commonly held miasmic theory of effluent odors.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The miasmic odor of the old dump made it impossible to breathe nearby.

Synonyms

smelly
vsmiasmic
118 1.0

Giving off a strong, unpleasant stink

adds a sense of foul, unhealthy vapor filling a place rather than just smell
stinky
vsmiasmic
60 1.0

Having a very bad smell

is more specific about an unhealthy, foul atmosphere than casual bad smell
moldy
vsmiasmic
  • US
29 2.1

Has soft green or black growth and often smells bad

applies to unhealthy atmospheres too but is more specific to mold
musty
vsmiasmic
29 3.9

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

is broader, covering any unhealthy, foul-smelling atmosphere beyond moldiness
noxious
vsmiasmic
19 7.8

Harmful to health or strongly unpleasant to the senses

adds the idea of a foul, unhealthy air or atmosphere rather than general harm
funky
vsmiasmic
  • Informal
18 6.9

Has a bad smell

places more emphasis on an unhealthy, vaporous atmosphere than casual odor
stuffy
vsmiasmic
13 2.7

A room with little fresh air that feels uncomfortable to breathe in

adds sense of foul, unhealthy vapor filling the area rather than just no fresh air
putrid
vsmiasmic
12 7.0

Rotting and smelling very bad

covers bad air or atmosphere more generally, not only rot-related smell
fetid
vsmiasmic
8 7.9

A very strong, bad smell like rotten food or trash

focuses more on the idea of an unhealthy, vaporous atmosphere
stinking
vsmiasmic
  • Informal
7 5.3

Very bad or unpleasant

focuses specifically on foul, unhealthy air rather than general extremeness
foul-smelling
vsmiasmic
7 4.1

A very strong stink that makes you want to move away

is similar but highlights an unhealthy or noxious atmosphere specifically
malodorous
vsmiasmic
4 8.2

Having a very bad smell that people dislike

requires the additional idea of unhealthy, vapourous atmosphere or effect
noisome
vsmiasmic
1 9.9

A very strong, unpleasant smell that can make you ill

is about a bad, unhealthy atmosphere rather than only a harmful smell
odiferous
vsmiasmic
1 8.5

Having a strong smell that is often unpleasant

is narrower by stressing an unhealthy, foul-smelling atmosphere not just scent
mephitic
vsmiasmic
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A strong, harmful smell from rot or pollution that makes it hard to breathe

is similar but emphasizes unpleasantness of the surrounding air generally
putrid-smelling
vsmiasmic
1 8.2

A very bad smell like rotten food

applies to unhealthy or oppressive air beyond just decay smells
ill-smelling
vsmiasmic
1 4.4

That has a strong, unpleasant odor

suggests an unhealthy, vaporous atmosphere not only a plain bad smell
1 3.8

Having a bad smell that people do not like

is stronger by implying the smell creates an unhealthy atmosphere
miasmatic
vsmiasmic
9.9

Smelling bad and making the air feel heavy and unhealthy

is specifically about foul, unhealthy vapor or atmosphere
miasmal
vsmiasmic
9.9

Full of a thick, unhealthy mist that smells bad

focuses broadly on an unpleasant, unhealthy atmosphere rather than only density
rank
vsmiasmic
6.7

Having a very strong unpleasant smell or taste

adds a sense of unhealthy vapor or atmosphere rather than just strength
rank-smelling
vsmiasmic
7.1

Having a very strong, unpleasant smell like rotten food

is about a generally foul and unhealthy surrounding atmosphere
reeking
vsmiasmic
5.0

Having a very strong bad smell like smoke or rot

is about unhealthy or foul air rather than just a strong bad odor
reechy
vsmiasmic
  • Archaic
9.9

Having a strong bad smell that makes you move away

adds the sense of an unhealthy, oppressive atmosphere rather than only smell
ill-scented
vsmiasmic
6.3

Having a strong, unpleasant smell

implies an unhealthy, vaporous atmosphere rather than only a bad smell
fusty
vsmiasmic
9.5

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

is similar but implies a more actively harmful or foul vaporous presence
mucid
vsmiasmic
9.9

Having a slimy or musty smell like old mold

is about a foul, unhealthy atmosphere beyond just slimy or moldy qualities

Antonyms

390 1.0

Has nothing mixed with it

314 1.0

Clean air or water that has no harmful things

How Noxious

pestilential
  • Literature
1 9.9
miasmic
1 9.9
foul
24 3.0
musty
29 3.9

Surface Forms

miasmic positive

Morphology

miasmic = miasma (transparent) = miasma + ic

Formed by straightforward suffixation of '-ic' to 'miasma', yielding an adjective meaning 'relating to or resembling miasma'.

Etymology

Miasmic comes from the Greek word miasma, which meant 'pollution' or 'stain' and was used for the 'bad air' people once thought caused disease. So miasmic describes air or a place that is foul-smelling and feels unhealthy to breathe.