puant
/pɥɑ̃/masculine
The English word stinky can be translated into French using puant. Wiktionary also lists fétide and malodorant.
Meaning: having a strong, unpleasant smell (adj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| puant | /pɥɑ̃/ | masculine |
| fétide | /fe.tid/ | |
| malodorant | /ma.lɔ.dɔ.ʁɑ̃/ | masculine |
These terms are used to describe something that has a strong, unpleasant smell. In common spoken French, rather than using an adjective, people frequently use the verbal expression ça pue to say that a place or a thing stinks.
Which one should you use?
puant is a general term for anything stinky. In contrast, fétide is a more literary term used to describe a heavy, nauseating or decaying smell. malodorant is a formal or technical term used to describe something that is malodorous.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form is puant. To describe a feminine noun, use the form puante.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɥɑ̃/
Did you know?
- While puant describes a smell, the phrase ça pue is often used as a slang expression to say that a situation is unfair, annoying or 'stinks' in a metaphorical sense.
- French has a specific cultural nuance where certain 'stinky' smells, like those of fromage (cheese), are described as fort (strong) to stay positive instead of using puant.
- The phrase ça pue can be intensified by adding la mort to create ça pue la mort, which literally means 'it smells like death'.
Examples in context
- La limon était noir et puant.The slime was black and stinky.This sentence uses puant to describe the smell of slime.Tatoeba #8571272 by Aiji, translation #7920169 by AlanF_US
- La cave est laide, sombre, et puante.The cellar is ugly, dark, and stinky.This sentence uses puant to describe the smell of a cellar.Tatoeba #403903 by qdii, translation #277069 by CK
- Cette chose est malodoranteThis thing is stinky
- La poubelle dégage une odeur fétideThe trash can is emitting a stinky smell
- Ça pue iciIt stinks in here
- Ce poisson fait une de ces puanteursThis fish smells horrible
- Ce tas d'ordures empesteThis pile of garbage stinks
- Ce vieux fromage est vraiment puant.This old cheese is really stinky.
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are cleaning the refrigerator.
- ManonLucas, regarde ce bac puant !Lucas, look at this stinky bin!
- LucasOh non, c'est horrible.Oh no, it's horrible.
- ManonJette-le tout de suite.Throw it away right now.
- LucasD'accord, je m'en occupe.Okay, I'll take care of it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stinky” translations and entries puant, fétide, malodorant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
