What does stinkiest mean?
Stinkiest is the superlative form of the adjective stinky and means “having the most unpleasant or pungent smell.” It normally appears when one person, place, food, animal, or event is being compared with others of the same kind: “the stinkiest room in the hotel,” for example, or “the stinkiest socks in the wash.” The word is informal but direct, and its strongly negative tone makes it especially effective when describing a particularly powerful offensive odor. It can also carry a figurative comic quality, suggesting that something is not merely unpleasant but exceptionally conspicuous, memorable, or distasteful. Although the form is grammatically limited to comparisons, it appears widely in everyday speech and informal writing. In formal prose, a more neutral term such as “most foul-smelling” may be preferable.
adjectiveThe superlative of stinky: having the most unpleasant or pungent smell.
- Having the most unpleasant, offensive, or pungent smell.
"The old refrigerator had the stinkiest smell in the kitchen."
"We left the rink after the stinkiest hockey game of the season."
"This cheese is the stinkiest, but the dog seems to approve."
The superlative of stinky turns an everyday complaint into a headline-worthy verdict on the smelliest thing around.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of stinkiest
The word is the superlative of stinky, which was formed from the English verb stink. Stink itself has Germanic roots and is related to older forms meaning to smell strongly or badly. The same broad Proto-Germanic ancestry underlies words such as stench and stinking, which developed through parallel formations within English.
Related word forms
How stinkiest is actually used
This is an inflected superlative form rather than a separate dictionary headword. It is informal and commonly contrasts one conspicuously malodorous thing with others of the same kind.