What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Smelled vs Smelly - What's the difference?

smelled | smelly |

As a verb smelled

is (smell).

As an adjective smelly is

having a bad smell.

smelled

English

Verb

(head)
  • (smell)

    • smell

    English

    Noun

  • A sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by inhaling air (or, the case of water-breathing animals, water) carrying airborne molecules of a substance.
    • I love the smell of fresh bread.
  • * 1908 , (Kenneth Grahame), (The Wind in the Willows)
    • The penetrating smell' of cabbage reached the nose of Toad as he lay prostrate in his misery on the floor, and gave him the idea for a moment that perhaps life was not such a blank and desperate thing as he had imagined. But still he wailed, and kicked with his legs, and refused to be comforted. So the wise girl retired for the time, but, of course, a good deal of the ' smell of hot cabbage remained behind, as it will do, and Toad, between his sobs, sniffed and reflected, and gradually began to think new and inspiring thoughts: of chivalry, and poetry...
  • (physiology) The sense that detects odours.

    • Usage notes

    * Adjectives often applied to "smell": sweet, good, nice, great, pleasant, fresh, fragrant, bad, foul, unpleasant, horrible, terrible, awful, nasty, disgusting, funny, strange, odd, sour, funky, metallic, stinky, rotten, rancid, putrid, rank, fishy.

    Synonyms

    * (sensation) ** (pleasant) aroma, fragrance, odor/odour, scent ** (unpleasant) odor/odour, niff (informal), pong (informal), reek, stench, stink, whiff (informal) * (sense) olfaction (in technical use), sense of smell * See also

    Verb

  • To sense a smell or smells.
  • To have a particular smell, whether good or bad; if descriptive, followed by "like" or "of".
  • * , chapter=8
    • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=Philander went into the next room
  • (without a modifier) To smell bad; to stink.
  • (figurative) To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savour.
  • * (John Milton)
    • Praises in an enemy are superfluous, or smell of craft.
  • (obsolete) To exercise sagacity.
    • (Shakespeare)
  • To detect or perceive; often with out .
  • * Shakespeare
    • I smell a device.
  • (obsolete) To give heed to.
  • * Latimer
    • From that time forward I began to smell the Word of God, and forsook the school doctors.

    Usage notes

    The sense "to smell bad, stink" is considered by some to be an incorrect substitute for stink.

    Synonyms

    * (sense a smell or smells) detect, sense * (have the smell of) (all followed by'' like''' ''or'' ' of ) ** (pleasant) ** (unpleasant) pong (informal), reek, stink, whiff (informal)

    Derived terms

    * code smells * sense of smell (see olfaction) * smell a rat * smell blood * smell like a rose * smell of an oily rag * smell test * smell the barn * smelly * wake up and smell the coffee

    See also

    * anosmia * sense

    References

    * *

    Anagrams

    * English irregular verbs 1000 English basic words

    smelly

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Having a bad smell.
    • She was hesitant to remove her shoes, as her socks were rather smelly .
  • (figuratively) having a quality that arouses suspicion.
    • The detective read the documents and thought, "Something sure is smelly about this case".
  • (figuratively, computing, slang, in extreme programming) Of inferior quality.
    • That smelly code needs to be refactored.

    Synonyms

    * (having a bad smell ): fetid, foul-smelling, malodorous, rank, stinky (slang), whiffy (slang); see also * (having a quality that arouses suspicion ): dodgy (informal), doubtful, dubious, suspect, suspicious * (computing: of inferior quality ):

    Antonyms

    * (having a bad smell ): aromatic, fragrant, sweet-smelling * (having a quality that arouses suspicion ): above board, clean * (computing: of inferior quality ):