Words to describe smells and tastes
Words for the two senses fiction most often forgets.
About this list
Smell and taste are the senses writers describe least, partly for lack of words. Roget had plenty, from the fragrant to the fetid, and the sweet to the pungent.
Odor
Nouns
- smell
- trail
- sense of smell
- essence
- scent
- act of smelling
- fragrance
- odor
- hound
- bloodhound
- fume
- exhalation
- emanation
- spoor
- olfaction
- odorant
- effluvium
Verbs
- nose
- smell
- smell of
- give out a smell
- smell strong of
- scent
- have an odor
- sniff
- inhale
- snuff
- snuff up
- exhale
- reek
- reek of
Adjectives
Fragrance
Nouns
- essential oil
- sweet smell
- toilet water
- essence
- mint
- scent
- perfume
- otto †
- bay rum
- smelling bottle
- fragrance
- musk
- lotion
- bouquet
- after-shave lotion
- incense
- balm
- aroma
- aromatic perfume
- eucalyptus oil
- perfumes of Arabia †
- vinaigrette
- myrrh
- frankincense
- muskrat
- potpourri
- bergamot
- attar
- sachet
- civet
- perfumer
- aloes wood
- pinene
Verbs
Adjectives
Fetor
Nouns
Verbs
- smell
- have a bad smell
- smell strong
- stink
- smell offensively
- stink in the nostrils
- stink like a polecat
Adjectives
Inodorousness
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Taste
Nouns
- taste
- stomach
- tongue
- tooth
- flavor
- tasting
- smack
- tang
- palate
- relish
- gust
- gout
- gusto
- savor
- aftertaste
- twang
Verbs
Adjectives
Pungency
Nouns
- smoke
- strong taste
- old soldier
- weed
- tobacco
- Indian weed
- cigarette
- mustard
- cigar
- nicotine
- nip
- quid
- sal volatile
- seasoning
- smelling salts
- fragrant weed
- Cavendish
- snuff
- cordial
- sharpness
- carbonate of ammonia
- cayenne
- dram
- roughness
- twang
- acrimony
- fid †
- saltpeter
- poignancy haut-gout
- segar †
- pungency
- piquancy
Verbs
- season
- smoke
- salt
- devil
- pepper
- bite the tongue
- spice
- chew
- pickle
- take snuff
- brine
- be pungent
- render pungent
Adjectives
Saltiness
Nouns
Adjectives
Bitterness
Nouns
- bitterness
- gall
- caustic
- alkali
- turmeric
- alkaloids
- bitters
- wormwood
- aromatic bitters
- acrimony
- astringent bitters
- Angostura
- sourness
- pungency
Adjectives
Savoriness
Nouns
- game
- good taste
- turtle
- relish
- nectar
- zest
- delicacy
- dainty
- venison
- appetizer
- ambrosia
- tasty morsel
- tidbit
- delicatessen
- deliciousness
Verbs
- like
- smack the lips
- relish
- tickle the appetite
- flatter the palate
- be savory
- tickle the palate
- render palatable
Adjectives
Unsavoriness
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Sweetness
Nouns
- sugar
- cake
- sweet wine
- ice cream
- desert
- honey
- candy
- apple butter
- pie
- preserve
- jam
- sugar-candy
- grocery
- maple sugar
- refined sugar
- syrup
- glucose
- cane sugar
- sugar cane
- corn syrup
- sweets
- pudding
- plum
- puff
- pastry
- sugar-plum
- maple syrup
- caramel
- sweetness
- mead
- conserve
- tart
- nectar
- meade †
- lollipop
- sugar beets
- beet sugar
- molasses
- sweetener
- marmalade
- artificial sweetener
- licorice
- sorghum
- liqueur
- manna
- taffy
- honeysuckle
- aspartame
Verbs
Adjectives
Sourness
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Insipidity
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Sources and licenses
- Categories and period vocabulary from the 1911 edition of Roget's Thesaurus, in the public domain. A dagger (†) marks a word its editors already called obsolete.
- Words are ordered by how often they appear in modern English, measured with wordfreq.