redolent

adjective

red·​o·​lent ˈre-də-lənt 

1

: exuding fragrance : aromatic

2

a

: full of a specified fragrance : scented

air redolent of seaweed

b

: evocative, suggestive

a city redolent of antiquity

redolently adverb

Did you know?

Redolent traces back to the Latin verb olēre ("to smell") and is a relative of olfactory ("of, relating to, or connected with the sense of smell"). In its earliest English uses in the 15th century, redolent simply meant "having an aroma." Today, it usually applies to a place or thing permeated with odors. Scent and memory are famously linked, and an extended use of redolent to mean “evocative” or “suggestive” links them again, as in “lollipops redolent of childhood.”

Synonyms

• ambrosial
• aromatic
• fragrant
• perfumed
• savory
• savoury
• scented
• sweet

Choose the Right Synonym for redolent

odorous, fragrant, redolent, aromatic mean emitting and diffusing scent.

odorous applies to whatever has a strong distinctive smell whether pleasant or unpleasant.

odorous cheeses should be tightly wrapped

fragrant applies to things (such as flowers or spices) with sweet or agreeable odors.

a fragrant rose

redolent applies usually to a place or thing impregnated with odors.

the kitchen was redolent of garlic and tomatoes

aromatic applies to things emitting pungent often fresh odors.

an aromatic blend of tobaccos

Examples of redolent in a Sentence

my grandmother's house always seemed to be redolent with the aroma of baking bread

Recent Examples on the Web

Once more layering the frame with oxidized textures redolent of water damage and mirror rot, his exacting compositions suggest a pained present becoming shameful history before the very eyes of its participants. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 12 Dec. 2024

Their discussion is redolent with disdain for the program and its enrollees — especially for beneficiaries of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, which added childless low-income households to a program that had chiefly covered families with children. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024

This is music at once pristine and forbidding, redolent of the austere polyphony of the late Middle Ages and the early Renaissance. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024

Along with the juices released from the apples when baked, brown butter, brown sugar and vanilla create a rich, caramelly filling, redolent with cinnamon. —Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin redolent-, redolens, present participle of redolēre to emit a scent, from re-, red- + olēre to smell — more at odor

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

redolent

adjective

red·​o·​lent ˈred-ᵊl-ənt 

1

: aromatic

2

: full of a fragrance or odor : scented

a room redolent of cooked cabbage