What does perfumed mean?
Perfumed is a word for something made fragrant or deliberately given a pleasant scent. It can describe flowers, a room, a breeze, clothing, or any other object whose smell is noticeable and appealing. The adjective often carries a poetic or luxurious association, suggesting that a scent has been carefully chosen or applied rather than occurring naturally. As a verb, perfumed means to scent something, as in “The air was perfumed with incense.” In everyday use, the related noun perfume is more common for a scented cosmetic preparation, while perfumed often emphasizes the resulting fragrance or atmosphere. The word is especially useful in descriptive writing because it combines the practical idea of applying a scent with the more evocative impression of richness, atmosphere, and sensory appeal.
Having a pleasant fragrance; scented or aromatic.
"The perfumed linen smelled faintly of lavender."
Often literary or descriptive, with an association of elegance and carefully applied fragrance.
To make something fragrant or scented, especially by applying perfume or another fragrance.
"She perfumed the room with sandalwood."
Commonly used in the pattern “perfume something with something.”
The word perfumed carries the image of fragrance deliberately applied, turning an ordinary object or space into something aromatic and memorable.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does perfumed come from?
Perfumed comes from the older English word perfume, which was borrowed from French parfum. French parfum ultimately derives from Latin perfumare, formed from the prefix per- and fumare, meaning “to smoke.” The development of the spelling reflects the influence of French and the gradual replacement of the Latin consonant v with the consonant f in related forms.
Related word forms
How perfumed is actually used
Perfumed is more literary and evocative than scented. As a verb, it usually takes a direct object or the construction perfumed with something.
Easily confused with perfumed
Perfumed describes something that has been scented or has a pleasant fragrance, whereas perfumery refers to the craft or business of making and selling perfumes.