Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having a pleasant natural smell; fragrant: This is the primary meaning, describing something that emits a sweet or agreeable odor, often from flowers, spices, or perfumes.
   • Emitting an odor, especially a strong or distinctive one: This broader meaning can refer to any smell, not necessarily pleasant, though it often implies a noticeable or pervasive odor.
   • (Archaic/Formal) Morally offensive; foul: This is a rare, figurative usage, suggesting something is morally repugnant or stinks in a non-literal sense.

Usage and Examples

• As an adjective describing a pleasant smell:
  • The garden was filled with odoriferous roses.
  • The odoriferous spices filled the kitchen with an inviting aroma.
• As an adjective describing a noticeable odor (not necessarily pleasant):
  • The odoriferous cheese was too strong for some guests.
  • The swamp was odoriferous after the heavy rain.
• As an adjective in a figurative, moral sense:
  • The scandal revealed the odoriferous dealings of the corporation. (This usage is now uncommon.)

Advanced Usage and Notes

• Formality: "Odoriferous" is a formal or literary word. In everyday speech, words like "fragrant," "aromatic," or "smelly" are more common.
• Connotation: While its first definition is positive (fragrant), the word itself is neutral and can be used for unpleasant smells, especially in scientific or descriptive contexts. The context usually makes the positive or negative connotation clear.
• "Odoriferous" vs. "Odorous": Both mean "having a smell." "Odorous" is more neutral and common. "Odoriferous" can sometimes carry a slightly stronger or more noticeable implication of smell.

Variants and Related Words

• Odor (n): A smell, whether pleasant or unpleasant.
  • A strange odor came from the basement.
• Odorous (adj): Having an odor; scented.
  • The odorous candles masked the pet smell.
• Deodorize (v): To remove or conceal an unpleasant odor.
  • We need to deodorize the refrigerator.

Synonyms

• Fragrant: Sweet-smelling (positive).
• Aromatic: Having a pleasant and distinctive smell (often used for plants, spices).
• Redolent: Smelling strongly of something or evocative of a smell (often followed by 'of').
• Pungent: Having a sharply strong taste or smell (can be positive or negative).
• Malodorous: Bad-smelling (negative).

Antonyms

• Odorless: Having no smell.
• Scentless: Without a perceptible smell.
• Fragrance-free: Specifically without a pleasant smell.

Idioms and Fixed Phrases

• None directly with "odoriferous": Due to its formal nature, "odoriferous" is not commonly used in idiomatic expressions. Related idioms use the root word "odor":
  • To be in bad odor: To be in disfavor or have a bad reputation.

    • After the failed project, he was in bad odor with management.

Adjective

1. having a natural fragrance
   • odoriferous spices
   • the odorous air of the orchard
   • the perfumed air of June
   • scented flowers
2. emitting an odor
   • odorous salt pork and weevily hardtack
3. morally offensive
   • odoriferous legislation