1
as in smelly
having an unpleasant smell
came home from their trip to find stinking garbage that had been left in the kitchen
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in drunk
slang
being under the influence of alcohol
warned her husband not to come home stinking—or he'd be sleeping on the couch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in damn
to a great degree
a huge, showy house that screams, "We're stinking rich!"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of stinking
Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2019
Muttaiah said the man inside the stinking manhole was working without any safety equipment — no gloves, no shoes, no supplemental oxygen.
—Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2019
GothamGetty Images Aren't expectant parents Jenna Dewan and Steve Kazee just so stinking cute?
—Emily Dixon, Marie Claire, 3 Dec. 2019
Second, the Huskies covered the spread as the favorite one stinking time?
—Mike Anthony, courant.com, 29 Aug. 2019
The area included a stinking heap: years of goat dung in layers up to a foot thick.
—Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 28 Aug. 2019
Man, that’s one crazy set of numbers, not to mention a stinking pile of horse manure, as the two long-revered defenders continue to make one sensational play after another . .
—Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, 19 July 2019
But his mechanics were already pretty stinking good.
—Robert Klemko, SI.com, 15 July 2019
Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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
Muttaiah said the man inside the stinking manhole was working without any safety equipment — no gloves, no shoes, no supplemental oxygen.
—Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2019
GothamGetty Images Aren't expectant parents Jenna Dewan and Steve Kazee just so stinking cute?
—Emily Dixon, Marie Claire, 3 Dec. 2019
Second, the Huskies covered the spread as the favorite one stinking time?
—Mike Anthony, courant.com, 29 Aug. 2019
The area included a stinking heap: years of goat dung in layers up to a foot thick.
—Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 28 Aug. 2019
Man, that’s one crazy set of numbers, not to mention a stinking pile of horse manure, as the two long-revered defenders continue to make one sensational play after another . .
—Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, 19 July 2019
But his mechanics were already pretty stinking good.
—Robert Klemko, SI.com, 15 July 2019
Verb
But who cares about stinking elections?
—Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stinking
Adjective
-
Avoid adding smelly meats, fruit rinds or other sweet-smelling food scraps to your compost.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Once cool, pour it into a spray bottle and lightly mist the smelly surfaces.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Make people mad, say something racist, interview a drunk girl outside a Chili’s about anal.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Here’s a guy who’s just married, on his honeymoon, drunk off his ass, and being given the steering wheel to a plane with 400 people behind him.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
As a result, Green Bay just got glitzier — and America’s Team appears pretty damn far from Super.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
29 Aug. 2025
-
The Orange Is the New Black star helped launch EW's annual LGBTQ+ issue — and looked damn good doing it.—
Leah Greenblatt,
EW.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
So tech companies are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to build out the data centers — giant, energy-sucking buildings full of computer servers — to ensure the US has the technical infrastructure to deliver all of the AI magic.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
-
In addition, Apple seems to have been able to execute the upgrade without sucking up your spare storage with excessively large video files.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
An alkaline compound, baking soda is a non-toxic cleaner with a coarseness that works wonders for scrubbing grime, removing difficult stains, and deodorizing stinky odors.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
-
This $8 set comes with four zippered pouches that can separate dirty, wet, or stinky shoes from the rest of your belongings.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The two girls were killed in a drunken-driving hit-and-run collision, theDepartment of Homeland Security said, by a man in the United States illegally who fled the scene of the crime.—
Taylor Romine,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Court records show that Nechville was convicted of drunken driving in 2019 and 2023.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
9 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
To take just one example from many hundreds, consider this conical, solid brass paperweight from minimalist Swedish firm Les Few, which will weigh down your expense reports and look damned good doing it.—
Eric Twardzik,
Robb Report,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The car scenes are rough, authentic, and often deeply compelling — mainly because the fresh-faced Bridges is so damned charismatic.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Look for male trees at garden centers, as females produce foul-smelling fruits.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Employees of Hollywood Tow called the LAPD on September 8 after smelling something foul from the car, per KTLA 5.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stinking. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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