Stench Meaning
/stɛnt͡ʃ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nouna strong foul smell; a stink.
nounA foul quality.
Sentence Examples
The stench of rotting flesh overwhelmed us as we entered the room.
What a stench! Do you suffer from gas?
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The rotten food in the trash caused a terrible ____ in the kitchen.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
An awful ____ filled the kitchen after we realized that the garbage hadn't been emptied for three days.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English stench, from Old English stenċ (“stench, odor, fragrance”), from Proto-Germanic *stankwiz (“smell, fragrance, odor”), from Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ- (“to push, thrust”). Cognate with Dutch stank (“stench, odor”), German Stank, Gestank (“stench, odor, smell”), Danish stank (“stench”), Swedish stank (“stench”), Icelandic stækja (“stench”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Black bulls, and bearded goats on altars lie; / And clouds of ſav'ry ſtench involve the ſky."
— a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The First Book of Homer’s Ilias”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume IV, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 432:
"Dead bards stench every coast"
— 1729, Edward Young, Imperium Pelagi:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The rotten food in the trash caused a terrible ____ in the kitchen.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
An awful ____ filled the kitchen after we realized that the garbage hadn't been emptied for three days.