Malodorous is an adjective describing something with a strong, unpleasant smell. It conveys a distinctly foul odor that is noticeable and offensive, often prompting people to react or seek cleansing. In use, it’s formal or literary enough for descriptions of scents that are off-putting. A malodorous environment can be described as stinking or fetid, though malodorous carries a slightly more clinical or literary tone.
"The alley remained malodorous after the rain, permeating the air with a sour, lingering smell."
"The chef warned that the sauce could become malodorous if left to ferment too long."
"Officials moved the crew away from the malodorous waste dump to prevent nausea and dizziness."
"Her nose wrinkled at the malodorous bloom, which reminded her of decaying fruit and spoiled milk."
Malodorous comes from the prefix mal- meaning ‘bad’ + odorous, from Latin odoratus, meaning ‘smelling, perfumed’ (past participle of odorare, to smell). The current form fused in Middle English via Old French mallodourous, built on Latin odor (smell) with the negative mal-. The sense evolved from simply ‘having a smell’ to ‘having a bad smell’ as English speakers used mal- to mark negative qualities. The -ous suffix is common for adjectives indicating possessing a quality. First known use appears in early modern English writings, as scholars and authors began to describe odors in narrative prose with greater precision. Over time, malodorous became a standard, somewhat erudite descriptor for disagreeable smells, used in medical, scientific, and literary contexts to avoid cruder terms. In contemporary usage, it persists as a precise, slightly formal descriptor, suitable for both clinical prose and high-register fiction. It aligns with other -odorous words such as odoriferous, though malodorous emphasizes the ‘bad smell’ aspect directly. The word intersects with odor, odorant, and fetor in discussions of scent quality. Overall, malodorous maintains its core meaning of a notably unpleasant odor, often implying persistence and offensiveness beyond an everyday odor.
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Words that rhyme with "Malodorous"
-ous sounds
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Malodorous is pronounced /ˌmæləˈdɔːrəs/ in US and UK variants. Primary stress falls on the second-to-last syllable: ma-LOH-dor-ous. Start with /ˌmæ/ (like ‘ma’ in ‘mama’), then /lə/ as a light schwa combined with l, then /ˈdɔː/ (rhymes with ‘door’), and finish with /əs/ (unstressed ‘us’). You can think of saying ‘mal’ as in ‘malfunction’ and ‘odor’ as in ‘odor,’ but compress the sequence tightly: ma-luh-DOR-uhs. If you’re listening, you’ll hear a soft, non-emphatic final syllable. Audio references: consult Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries for embedded audio.
Common mistakes include stressing the wrong syllable (often stressing the first ‘ma’ instead of the ‘dor’), pronouncing the middle /lɒ/ as in ‘lot’ instead of a long /lɔː/; and finishing with a clipped /əs/ rather than an elongated /ərəs/. To correct: place primary stress on the second-to-last syllable: ma-LO-dor-ous, use /ɔː/ for the ‘door’ vowel, and end with a clear but light /əs/ or /ərəs/ without adding a strong vowel sound. Practice with minimal pairs and slowed pronunciation to align the rhythm.
In US, /ˌmæləˈdɔːrəs/ often retains a rhotic /r/ in the secondary syllable; in UK, /ˌmæləˈdɔːrəs/ tends to be non-rhotic in careful speech, though the /r/ may appear in linked speech; in Australian, /ˈmæləˌdɔːrəs/ is typically non-rhotic but with a clear /ɔː/ vowel and a flatter intonation. The main differences are rhoticity and vowel length; US tends to keep linking /r/ in careful enunciation, UK may drop it in non-stressed positions, and AU sits in the middle with a broad vowel in the /ɔː/ and a more even rhythm.
The difficulty lies in combining a multi-syllabic, stress-timed word with a long /ɔː/ vowel in the third syllable and a final unstressed /əs/ cluster. The sequence ma-LO-dor-ous requires precise coordination: a strong secondary stress before /dɔː/; a rounded vowel /ɔː/ that lingers; and a light, quick ending. Additionally, the subtle schwa preceding the l in the first two syllables can trip speakers who expect a crisp, even rhythm. Mastery comes from controlled pacing and mouth positioning.
A unique aspect is the transition from the /l/ to the /d/ in a crowded midsyllable: ma-lə-DOR-əs. The combination of a light schwa followed by a clear mid-back vowel can be tricky for held vowels and can cause a dip in the rhythm if not timed. Pay attention to the secondary stress forming on the /dɔː/ while keeping the /ˌmælə/ light. Practicing with tempo changes helps align this tricky transition.
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