Added 10 October 2026
smelly
/ˈsmɛli/ adjective
In Latin: odōrus Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about smelly at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Having a bad smell.
She was hesitant to remove her shoes, as her socks were rather smelly.
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Having a quality that arouses suspicion.
The detective read the documents and thought, "Something sure is smelly about this case."
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Having signs that suggest a design problem; having a code smell.
That smelly code needs to be refactored.
noun
- A smelly person.
noun
- a Short Magazine Lee Enfield rifle or one of its derivatives.
Origin
A comical pronunciation of the initials SMLE.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)