śmierdzący
/ɕmjɛrˈd͡zɔn.t͡sɘ/masculine
The English word "stinky" is translated into Polish as śmierdzący.
The term is an adjective used to describe something that has a strong, unpleasant smell.
Meaning: having a strong, unpleasant smell (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree with the gender of the noun it describes. You can use śmierdząca for feminine nouns and śmierdzące for neuter nouns. The form śmierdzący is also used for non-masculine personal plural nouns, such as groups of women or objects. If you want to express the action of something smelling bad using a verb rather than an adjective, use śmierdzieć.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɕmjɛrˈdzɔn.tsɘ/. The word has 3 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd of 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- The Polish phrase śmierdzieć na kilometr means to be obvious or blatantly apparent, literally translating to 'stinking for a kilometer'.
- Polish has a specific noun śmierdziel, which refers to a person who smells bad, turning the adjective into a label for a person.
- While English uses 'stinky' as a cute or mild way to describe a smell, using śmierdzący in Polish can often sound much harsher and more direct.
Examples in context
- Ten śmietnik pachnie okropnie!This dumpster smells awful!
- Trzeba się pozbyć tych zepsutych jajek, bo wszystko zaczyna śmierdziećWe need to get rid of those rotten eggs as everything is starting to smell.
- Ten stary ser jest bardzo śmierdzący.This old cheese is very stinky.
- Ten śmierdzący kosz na śmieci musi zostać wyniesiony.This stinky trash can must be taken out.
Example conversation
Krzysztof is cleaning the garage and finds an old gym bag.
- MałgorzataKrzysztof, co to za zapach?Krzysztof, what is that smell?
- KrzysztofTo tylko ten śmierdzący worek na treningi.It is just this stinky gym bag.
- MałgorzataMusisz go natychmiast wyrzucić.You must throw it out immediately.
- KrzysztofMasz rację, Małgorzato, zaraz to zrobię.You are right, Małgorzata, I will do it right away.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stinky” translations and entries śmierdzący, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
