fetid

adjective

fet·​id ˈfe-təd 

especially British

ˈfē-tid 

: having a heavy offensive smell

a fetid swamp

fetidly adverb

fetidness noun

Synonyms

• foul
• frowsty [chiefly British]
• frowsy
• frowzy
• funky
• fusty
• malodorous
• musty
• noisome
• rank
• reeking
• reeky
• ripe
• smelly
• stenchy
• stinking
• stinky
• strong

Choose the Right Synonym for fetid

malodorous, stinking, fetid, noisome, putrid, rank, fusty, musty mean bad-smelling.

malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

prisoners were held in stinking cells

the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

fusty and musty suggest lack of fresh air and sunlight, fusty also implying prolonged uncleanliness, musty stressing the effects of dampness, mildew, or age.

a fusty attic

the musty odor of a damp cellar

Examples of fetid in a Sentence

a fetid pool of water

the fetid odor of rotting vegetables

Recent Examples on the Web

Sears does an excellent job with his role, capturing Johnny’s frenetic desperation to remain afloat in the clan’s fetid storm, but this critic, at least, wanted more for this character. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2024

Similarly, Musk has transformed Twitter into a dull, fetid cesspool of White nationalism and paranoid lies. —Michelle Goldberg, The Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2024

The city’s shimmering wealth and fetid corruption leap from the page; so, too, does music’s transcendent, radiant power. —Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Aug. 2024

Well before swimming in the Seine was prohibited about 100 years ago, the river had already earned a reputation as a fetid open sewer. —Jessica Leigh Hester, The Atlantic, 31 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin foetidus, from foetēre to stink

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fetid

adjective

fet·​id ˈfet-əd 

: having a strong unpleasant smell

fetidly adverb

fetidness noun

Medical Definition

fetid

adjective

fet·​id

variants also foetid

ˈfet-əd, especially British ˈfē-tid

: having a heavy offensive smell