The sense of smell can add so much to a story, but how do you add the sense of smell in words in a way that triggers the reader's sense of smell? It helps to understand what smell is to begin with. Smell, as a verb, is to perceive a scent or odor with the nose, to test something using the sense of smell, to discover what something in by way of its odor or scent, or for an object or person to have a particular scent or odor. As a noun, smell is the sense itself, as perceived by the nose and olfactory nerves. It is the act of smelling or the quality of something as it perceived by the nose and olfactory nerves. In the Thesaurus, smell is broken down into four categories: odor, fragrance, stench and odorlessness.
The Smells
Odor
Odor is defined as the property of an object or substance that triggers the sense of smell or the sensation perceived by the sense of smell. Odors are generally considered unpleasant. The Thesaurus lists the following nouns, verbs and adjectives as synonyms for odor.
Thesaurus:
Nouns
a) smell, scent, aroma, essence, emanation, fume, breath, whiff, trace, fragrance, stink stench
b) odorousness, smelliness, pungency
c) smelling, olfaction, scenting, sniffing, whiffing, odorizing
d) sense of smell, smelling, scent, olfactory sense
e) olfactory organ, olfactory cell, nose, nostrils, nares, olfactory nerves
Verbs
f) be aromatic, smell of, emit or emanate or give out a smell, reach one's nostrils, yield an odor or aroma, breathe, reek
g) odorize, scent, perfume
h) smell, scent, nose, sniff, inhale, breathe in, get a noseful, catch a smell of, take a whiff of
i)
Adjectives
j) odorous, odored, odorant, smelling, smell, aromatic, fragrant, stinking, malodorous
k) strong, strong smelling, pungent, penetrating, sharp, reeking, suffocating, stifling
l) smellable, sniffable
m) olfactory
n) sharp scented, sharp nosed, with a nose for
Fragrance is described as the quality of having a pleasant scent, or a sweat odor. Fragrances are generally considered agreeable or pleasurable. The Thesaurus lists several nouns, verbs and adjectives as fragrance synonyms.
Thesaurus:
Nouns
a) perfume, aroma, scent, balminess, incense, bouquet, sweet smell, spice, muskiness, fruitiness
b) perfumery, scent, essence, extract, aromatic, ambrosia, essential oil, balm of Gilead, myrrh,
c) toilet water, rose water, lavender water, cologne, lotion
d) incense, frankincense
e) perfumer, perfuming
f) fumigator, scenter, odorizer, atomizer, spray, incense burner
Verbs
g) be fragrant, smell sweet, smell good
h) perfume, scent, aromatize, odorize, fumigate
Adjectives
i) fragrant, aromatic, perfumy, perfumed, scented, sweet, sweet smelling, savory, sweet as a rose, fragrant as new mown hay, flowery, fruity, musky, spicy
Stench
Stench is considered a strong, foul smell or stink. Stench has an objectionable quality to it and so it is considered offensive in nature. The Thesaurus lists the following nouns, verbs, and adjectives as synonymous with the word "stench."
Thesaurus:
Nouns
a. stink, funk, malodor, fetidness, foul smell, offensive odor,, rottem smell, noxious stench, decay, reek, reeking, body odor, halitosis, bad breath
b. fetidness, smelliness, stinkiness, rankness, mustiness, moldiness, mildew, stuffiness, rancidity, rottenness
c. stinker, skunk, rotten egg, stink ball, stink bomb
Verbs
d. stink, smell, assail or offend the nostrils, smell to heaven or to high heaven, reek, stink up, stink out
Adjectives
e. malodorous, fetid, stinking, reeking, evil smelling, bad smelling, smelly, foul, vile, putrid, bad, excremental, offensive, repulsive, noxious, rotten, rank, strong, rancid, musty, funky, stuffy, moldy, mildew
Odorlessness
Odorlessness is described as the lack of smell, so that it is neither offensive or pleasant. The Urban Dictionary lists a invented word "nodor" which is defined as the property of odorlessness. Any substance, object, or person that is completely odorless is said to have nodor. The Thesaurus lists only a few nouns, verbs, and adjectives as synonyms for odorless.
Thesaurus:
Nouns
A. odorlessness, scentlessness, smell-lessness, inoffensiveness
B. deodorizing, dodorization, fumigation, ventilatin
C. deodorant, dodorizer, antiperspeirant, fumigant, fumigator
Verbs
D. deodorize, fumigate, ventilate, freshen the air
Adjectives
E. oldorless, nonodorous, scentless, unscented, neurtral smelling, inoffensive
F. deodorant, deodorizing
Resources
Roget’s Thesaurus. Fifth Edition. Edited by Robert L. Chapman. New York, New York: Harper’s and Collins Publishers, 1992.
American Heritage Dictionary
Urban Dictionary. Nodor.
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