olfactory
adjective
ōl-
Did you know?
No, olfactory is not a noun meaning “a place that makes scents”; for that, you want perfumery, which makes more sense. Olfactory is instead an adjective used to describe things related to one’s sense of smell, that which lets you detect fruit with your snoot, a leek with your beak, Shiraz with your schnozz. Olfactory comes from the Latin word olfacere (“to smell”), which in turn combines two verbs, olēre (“to give off a smell”) and facere (“to do”). It often appears in scientific contexts (as in “olfactory nerves,” the nerves that pass from the nose to the brain and contain the receptors that make smelling possible), but it is occasionally used in less technical writing and speech. The pleasant smell of hot mulled cider, for example, might be considered an “olfactory delight,” depending on the spices and your own sensibilities, of course. As they say, the nose knows.
Examples of olfactory in a Sentence
Cathrine Todd, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
Through Sunday, people can experience an immersive visit, which is both an olfactory and botanical journey that spans 3,230 square feet, and allows visitors to see how the Santalum austrocaledonicum tree is morphed into a perfume ingredient.
—Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 23 May 2025
Beyond olfactory nuisances, the marijuana trade has been linked to an increase in crime.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
The warm woody notes in the bottle mix with your natural scent for an olfactory result that's all your own.
—Sarah Hoffmann, Allure, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for olfactory
Cite this Entry
“Olfactory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/olfactory. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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olfactory
adjective
Medical Definition
olfactory
adjective
ōl-
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