puant
/pɥɑ̃/masculine
The English phrase 'smelly' is translated into French as puant. Wiktionary also lists malodorant.
Meaning: having a bad smell (adj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| puant | /pɥɑ̃/ | masculine |
| malodorant | /ma.lɔ.dɔ.ʁɑ̃/ |
Which one should you use?
puant is a visceral and stronger word than malodorant. In contrast, malodorant is a more clinical or professional term.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
malodorant is a formal or scientific term. For extremely offensive odors, especially those involving decaying matter, the formal term fétide is used. If a smell is so bad that it makes you feel sick, you can use the formal word nauséabond(e).
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective puant changes based on the gender and number of the noun it describes: puant is masculine singular, puante is feminine singular, puants is masculine plural and puantes is feminine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɥɑ̃/
What mistakes should you avoid?
If you want to say 'it stinks' or 'it smells' in a common, everyday way, use the very common verb phrase ça pue.
Did you know?
- In French, you can use the verb puer to describe something that is very poor quality or unskilled, such as saying il pue le foot to mean someone is terrible at football.
- If you use the word puant to describe a person's character rather than their hygiene, you are calling them 'stinking' or 'vile' in a moral sense.
- The phrase ça pue is so common in French that it is often used metaphorically to say that a situation or a deal 'stinks' or is suspicious.
Examples in context
- En été, je transpire beaucoup et mes aisselles deviennent malodorantes.In the summer I sweat a lot, and my armpits get smelly.This sentence illustrates the use of malodorant to describe body odor.Tatoeba #8939475 by lbdx, translation #2332815 by orcrist
- Les ordures sont malodorantes.The garbage is smelly.
- Ce fromage fétide ne convient pas à tous les palais.This stinky cheese doesn't suit all tastes.
- L'égout présente une odeur nauséabonde.The sewer has a nauseating smell.
- Ce poisson est vraiment puant, ouvrons les fenêtres !This fish really stinks, let's open the windows!
- T'as mis des chaussettes qui puent dans le lave-linge !You put smelly socks in the washing machine!
- Les vestiaires après le match de football, ça sent mauvais !The locker rooms after the football game smell bad!
- Ce fromage est vraiment puant.This cheese is really smelly.
- Il a jeté un vieux sac puant.He threw away a smelly old bag.
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma are cleaning the kitchen together.
- HugoEmma, regarde ce vieux poisson puant !Emma, look at this smelly old fish!
- EmmaOh non, c'est horrible. Jette-le vite.Oh no, it's horrible. Throw it away quickly.
- HugoJe le fais, mais l'odeur reste ici.I'm doing it, but the smell is staying here.
- EmmaOuvre la fenêtre pour aérer la pièce.Open the window to air out the room.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “smelly” translations and entries puant, malodorant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
