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as in poisonous
bad for the well-being of the body it's no fun having asthma and living in an area with noisome smog

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word noisome distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of noisome are fetid, fusty, malodorous, musty, putrid, rank, and stinking. While all these words mean "bad-smelling," noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

How do fusty and musty relate to one another, in the sense of noisome?

Both 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

When could malodorous be used to replace noisome?

The words malodorous and noisome are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

When might putrid be a better fit than noisome?

While the synonyms putrid and noisome are close in meaning, putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

When is it sensible to use rank instead of noisome?

While in some cases nearly identical to noisome, rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

How are the words stinking and fetid related as synonyms of noisome?

Both stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

prisoners were held in stinking cells
the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of noisome To question the sincerity of the president’s rhetoric—and that of his party—is not to dismiss the challenge posed by the various noisome currents of antidemocratic sentiment and behavior running through our politics like the effluence of overflowing sewers. Gerard Baker, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2022 Performers like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, who long ago bartered their integrity and believability for money and ratings, can peddle their noisome pro-Trump propaganda on Fox News. Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2022 But Trudeau is using it to get rid of a political headache: the loud, noisome, but nonviolent blockade of bridges in Canada and the downtown of the nation’s capital. Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 16 Feb. 2022 But her water bowl is filled with a noisome black, brackish liquid — what has fouled it, and for how long, is anyone’s guess. Gene Weingarten, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2021 And there were some years where his fame was turned infamous by serious accusations of the most noisome acts. Ashley Cullins, Billboard, 3 May 2021 Auschwitz was his laboratory, offering limitless subjects and unbound by noisome ethical inhibitions. David Margolick, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2020 Farmers agreed to reduce the emissions of the country’s noisome pigs. The Economist, 9 July 2019 When asked to share a story about the worst moment in his career, Griffin talked about yet another interaction with a noisome audience member. Nina Metz, chicagotribune.com, 5 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for noisome
Adjective
  • But the film’s poisonous reviews and disastrous box office all but torpedoed her Oscar hopes this year, and the film was shut out in Monday’s Globe nominations.
    Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 9 Dec. 2024
  • But left unchecked, fear of failure becomes poisonous.
    Mark Kane, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • That ends up dislodging the disgusting foreign item in Larry's throat.
    Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Leigh goes for the gags in this one, from Broadbent’s workplace pratfall to friend of the family Aubrey’s (Timothy Spall) disgusting new restaurant.
    Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • This is about a team with a top-10 payroll whose GM committed too stinking much of it to dogs that can’t, or won’t, pull the sled.
    Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2019
  • Muttaiah said the man inside the stinking manhole was working without any safety equipment — no gloves, no shoes, no supplemental oxygen.
    Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2019
Adjective
  • Russia has consistently denied using chemical weapons in Ukraine and, in turn, has accused Kyiv of employing toxic agents on the battlefield.
    Michael D. Carroll, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
  • Most of the concern comes from lab studies involving animals or human cell lines — scientists observed toxic effects of microplastics on the cellular and molecular levels.
    Will Stone, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • In a Hungarian cartoon from around 1951, Churchill is seen as an ugly villain, ready to set households and factories on fire.
    Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
  • For many people, finding the perfect ugly Christmas sweater is an annual tradition.
    Shea Simmons, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Other signs to look for are floating debris, rust, mildew, or foul odors.
    Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2024
  • There’s also an odor neutralizer cartridge that can be placed into the vacuum’s brush roll and is is designed to keep foul odors out of the air while cleaning.
    Terri Williams, Architectural Digest, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • However, communities in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains were still experiencing unhealthful air quality, according to the air district.
    Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2024
  • According to the agency’s map, very unhealthy air levels were detected in the Chino Valley and San Bernardino areas, unhealthful levels in the eastern San Gabriel Valley as well as Pomona, Perris, Corona, Riverside areas and far northern Orange County.
    Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • Reviews of the film at the time tended to single out the career-best performance of Jason Patric, primarily because, as the aggro, rape-minded workout buddy to Eckhart’s weak-spined Barry, Patric’s is the showiest and most sickening role.
    Sean Malin, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
  • The yearling scrambled back up its tree, then let go and fell, landing with a sickening thud.
    Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Noisome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/noisome. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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