stinky

/ˈstɪŋki/ (bre, ipa) · [stˈɪŋki] /ˈstɪŋki/ (ame, ipa) · [stˈɪŋki] /ˈstiŋkē How to pronounce stinky (audio) -ki/ (ame, mw)

stinky — adjective

  • stinkypositive
  • stinkiercomparative
  • stinkiestsuperlative

1. giving off a strong, unpleasant odor that quickly fills the air around it.

1.形容詞B1
釋義

giving off a strong, unpleasant odor that quickly fills the air around it.

例句

Tariro held her nose as she dumped the stinky garbage bag into the bin.

attributive: stinky + noun (concrete object)

Vikram refused to eat the stinky tofu his cousin brought back from Taipei.

common food collocation: stinky tofu

同義詞
  • smelly

    neutral; works in writing and formal speech where 'stinky' would feel childish

  • malodorous

    formal; medical or scientific reports

  • reeking

    stronger; suggests the smell is overwhelming and already drifting outward

  • pongy

    British informal; same playful register as 'stinky' but rarely heard in Taiwan or US English

反義詞

用法筆記

Informal register; learners should pick 'smelly' for neutral writing and 'stinky' for casual speech, jokes with friends, or describing things kids find gross (socks, tofu, garbage).

常見錯誤

❌The perfume smelled very stinky on her.
✅The perfume smelled too strong on her.
💡'stinky' is only for unpleasant smells, never for perfumes or flowers people are meant to enjoy.
❌The report uses a stinky tone toward the minister.
✅The report uses a hostile tone toward the minister.
💡sense 1 is about real smells; don't extend it to writing or speech.

2. annoyingly bad, mean, or disappointing — used to complain about a situation, dec

2.形容詞B2
釋義

annoyingly bad, mean, or disappointing — used to complain about a situation, decision, or person's behavior.

例句

Kenji called it a stinky deal after the landlord refused to fix the broken heater.

attributive: stinky + abstract noun (deal, decision)

Élise thought it was a stinky thing to do, posting the photo without asking Noa first.

pattern: a stinky thing to do

同義詞
  • lousy

    same informal register; slightly stronger complaint

  • rotten

    stronger; suggests genuinely unfair or selfish behavior, not just disappointing

  • crummy

    American informal; emphasizes poor quality more than meanness

反義詞
  • decent

    fair, reasonable, acceptable

用法筆記

Frequently complains about other people's behavior, decisions, or moods; subjects are usually situations, attitudes, or judgments, not physical objects. Distinguish from sense 1 by checking whether the noun can literally smell — a 'stinky mood' cannot, so it must be sense 2.

常見錯誤

❌The exam was a stinky difficulty.
✅The exam was unfairly difficult.
💡sense 2 attaches to nouns like 'deal', 'mood', 'attitude', 'review', not to abstract qualities like 'difficulty'.