How to Say "Smelly" in German

stinkend

The English word "smelly" is translated into German as stinkend.

Meaning: having a bad smell (adj)

How does it change in a sentence?

The form stinkend is a present participle used as an adjective to mean "smelly" or "stinking".

In German, if a person is 'stinkend' in a non-literal sense, such as stinkreich, it actually means they are 'stinking rich' or extremely wealthy.
The adjective stinkend can be used as an intensifier for negative qualities, such as stinklangweilig to mean 'stinking boring'.
To describe a smell that is not necessarily 'stinking' but just very strong, Germans use the word beißend, which literally means 'biting'.

Er warf seine schmutzigen, stinkenden Socken auf den Boden.
He threw his dirty, smelly socks on the floor.
This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the word stinkend to describe dirty socks.
Tatoeba #12117308 by Naina, translation #11583892 by Nuel
Der Keller riecht muffig
The basement smells musty
Der Abfluss ist übelriechend
The drain is malodorous
Der Käse riecht widerlich
The cheese smells disgusting
Die Socken riechen streng
The socks smell strong
Der stinkende Müll muss heute raus.
The smelly trash must go out today.
Ich kann diesen stinkenden Fisch nicht riechen.
I cannot smell this smelly fish.
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Julian and Sarah are in the kitchen.

Julian

Was ist das für ein stinkender Geruch?
What is that smelly smell?
Sarah

Ich glaube, das ist der alte Käse.
I think that is the old cheese.
Julian

Wir müssen den stinkenden Käse sofort wegwerfen.
We have to throw the smelly cheese away immediately.
Sarah

Ja, ich mache das jetzt.
Yes, I will do that now.

Sources

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