Definition of noisomenext
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as in poisonous
bad for the well-being of the body it's no fun having asthma and living in an area with noisome smog

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word noisome distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of noisome are fetid, fusty, malodorous, musty, putrid, rank, and stinking. While all these words mean "bad-smelling," noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

How do fusty and musty relate to one another, in the sense of noisome?

Both fusty and musty suggest lack of fresh air and sunlight, fusty also implying prolonged uncleanliness, musty stressing the effects of dampness, mildew, or age.

a fusty attic
the musty odor of a damp cellar

When could malodorous be used to replace noisome?

The words malodorous and noisome are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

When might putrid be a better fit than noisome?

While the synonyms putrid and noisome are close in meaning, putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

When is it sensible to use rank instead of noisome?

While in some cases nearly identical to noisome, rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

How are the words stinking and fetid related as synonyms of noisome?

Both stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

prisoners were held in stinking cells
the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of noisome Having gone in the tank for Griffin, North Carolina’s highest courts are a noisome example of why partisanship ought to have no place in judicial selection. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2025 To question the sincerity of the president’s rhetoric—and that of his party—is not to dismiss the challenge posed by the various noisome currents of antidemocratic sentiment and behavior running through our politics like the effluence of overflowing sewers. Gerard Baker, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2022 Performers like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, who long ago bartered their integrity and believability for money and ratings, can peddle their noisome pro-Trump propaganda on Fox News. Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2022 But Trudeau is using it to get rid of a political headache: the loud, noisome, but nonviolent blockade of bridges in Canada and the downtown of the nation’s capital. Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 16 Feb. 2022 But her water bowl is filled with a noisome black, brackish liquid — what has fouled it, and for how long, is anyone’s guess. Gene Weingarten, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2021 And there were some years where his fame was turned infamous by serious accusations of the most noisome acts. Ashley Cullins, Billboard, 3 May 2021 Farmers agreed to reduce the emissions of the country’s noisome pigs. The Economist, 9 July 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for noisome
Adjective
  • The Epstein files reveal plenty of powerful people to have tolerated or participated in disgusting and shameful behavior.
    Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Hearing disgusting lies spread about my brother is absolutely gut-wrenching, and my family is deeply grateful so many people have stood up and helped tell his truth.
    Drake Bentley, jsonline.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Four plays, 76 yards, in 25 stinking seconds.
    David Aldridge, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
  • This is about a team with a top-10 payroll whose GM committed too stinking much of it to dogs that can’t, or won’t, pull the sled.
    Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2019
Adjective
  • Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless poisonous gas that at high levels can cause loss of consciousness and death.
    Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Kirk recognized that this crude conspiracism was poisonous to his project of popularizing the conservative cause.
    Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Further, there is the even uglier spectre of players and coaches themselves fixing games.
    Tom Tapp, Deadline, 12 Feb. 2026
  • Shower Heads Even the most high-end shower heads are not immune to ugly mineral deposits and limescale buildup that can clog the holes.
    Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Scherzer, one of few pitchers who still runs foul poles after starts, was taking on players in their early-to-mid-20s to footraces after workouts.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Lee received a technical foul after being bothered by an offensive foul call on Grant Williams and immediately was sent off by head referee John Goble.
    Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Dart frogs in captivity aren't generally toxic because they aren't fed the same diet as frogs in the wild, the researchers found.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Tens of thousands of unproductive and unplugged oil wells have been abandoned across California — many of which continue to leak potentially explosive methane or toxic benzene.
    Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Similarly the vulnerability of Nancy Guthrie, an elderly woman described as having mobility problems, as a possible victim of a violent crime, is sickening and deeply uncomfortable.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
  • To many of those who knew what went on inside the structure, the spectacle was sickening.
    Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Vermin, malodorous airs and other issues caused 14 Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach restaurants to fail inspection last week.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Democrats are an eye-watering 26 points underwater while Republicans are a more mildly malodorous 11 points beneath the surface.
    Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 17 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Noisome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/noisome. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

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