creative writing describing smells

Describing Smells in Writing: Mastering the Art of Sensory Language

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on September 6, 2023

Categories Writing , Creative Writing

The art of describing smells in writing can elevate your work to an immersive experience for readers. The human sense of smell is closely linked to memory, making it a powerful tool for writers to evoke emotions and transport readers into the world they’ve created.

Capturing the essence of a scent in words can be challenging, but with a robust vocabulary and practiced skill, it’s a technique that greatly enhances storytelling.

Understanding the science of smell allows writers to appreciate how scents can influence our perception, emotions, and memories. Developing a robust vocabulary for scents, categorizing them, and accurately describing their intensity will enable writers to paint vivid, olfactory pictures for their readers.

Through practice, observation, and dedication to mastering this art, you will be able to create stories with rich sensory experiences that leave a lasting impact on your readers.

Key Takeaways

Describing smells effectively in writing can create deeper, immersive experiences for readers.
Developing a strong vocabulary and understanding the science of smell helps writers enhance their storytelling.
Practice, observation, and a focus on accurately capturing sensory details lead to richer, more evocative writing.

The Science of Smell

The role of smell receptors.

Your sense of smell relies on specialized receptors in your nose. These receptors detect and identify various types of odor molecules present in the air you breathe. When these molecules reach your smell receptors, they send signals to your brain, which then interprets the scent. There are approximately 10 main categories of scent, such as fragrant, woody, fruity, and chemical.

Sense of Smell and Emotion

Smell has a unique relationship with emotion. Unlike other senses, the olfactory system is closely linked to the brain’s limbic system, which is responsible for processing emotions and memories. This connection essentially means that smells can evoke strong emotional responses, both positive and negative. For example, the scent of freshly baked cookies may bring feelings of comfort and nostalgia, while the odor of rotten food may trigger disgust or repulsion.

Smell and Memory

One of the most impactful aspects of smell is its connection to memory. The relationship between your sense of smell and memory is powerful due to the proximity of the olfactory system to the brain’s hippocampus and amygdala, which are vital for forming and storing memories. As a result, specific scents can bring back vivid memories, even ones that have been seemingly forgotten for a long time.

When incorporating smells into your writing, consider how they might connect with emotions and memories to create a more immersive reading experience for your audience. By effectively describing a variety of scents and the emotions they evoke, you’ll be better equipped to engage your readers and help them establish a strong connection with your narrative.

A Vocabulary for Scents

Adjectives to describe smells.

The world is filled with an incredible variety of scents, and to accurately describe them in your writing, it’s essential to have a diverse vocabulary at your disposal. By using specific adjectives, you can evoke the sensations and memories associated with different smells. Here are some categories of adjectives that will help you describe various scents:

Fresh : crisp, clean, natural
Earthy : loamy, musty, damp
Floral : flowery, feminine, fragrant
Fruity : citrusy, berry-like, zesty
Woody : pine, resinous, bark
Masculine : musky, leathery, smoky
Chemical : acrid, pungent, rancid
Sweet : honeyed, sugary, syrupy

These are just a few examples to get you started. Be creative and explore the vast array of adjectives available to you when describing smells in your writing.

Describing Smells through Associations

Another effective way to describe smells in your writing is through associations. Since our sense of smell is closely tied to memory, connecting a scent to a particular experience or situation can create a vivid and relatable description for your reader. By incorporating associations, you will make your descriptions more engaging and authentic.

For example, instead of simply stating that a room smells old, you could describe the scents of dusty, yellowed pages and mothballs, evoking the feeling of a long-forgotten library. Likewise, instead of stating that a bakery smells delicious, you could describe the aroma of warm, freshly-baked bread and buttery croissants wafting through the air.

When using associations to describe scents, consider the following tips:

Draw upon personal experiences : Reflect on your own memories and emotions that certain scents evoke, and use them to enhance your descriptions.
Utilize common or relatable experiences : Describe smells that your readers can easily recognize, enabling them to recall similar situations they’ve encountered in their own lives.
Be specific and detailed : Provide rich and nuanced descriptions of smells, painting a vivid sensory picture for your reader.

Remember, the aim is to create a strong and evocative connection between your description and the scent you’re trying to convey. Experiment with different associations and adjectives to find the perfect way to capture a smell in your writing.

Categories of Smells

Natural scents.

When describing smells, think about the different categories of natural scents that you might encounter in the environment. For example, the scent of flowers can range from sweet and floral such as roses, to more earthy and green as in a pine forest. Fruity smells, like those of lemons or other fruits, often have a fresh and invigorating quality. Earthy smells are common in nature and can evoke a sense of being grounded in the environment. Use these natural scents in your writing to create vivid and authentic descriptions of your settings.

Floral : rose, jasmine, lavender
Fruity : lemon, apple, mango
Green : pine, grass, eucalyptus
Earthy : damp soil, rain, moss

Man-Made Smells

Man-made smells are those that originate from human activities or created products, such as perfume or sweat. Think about the characteristics of these scents and how they can add layers to your descriptions. Chemical smells can be harsh, pungent, or even nauseating, while perfume scents often bring sophistication or luxury. Describing the smell of sweat can help to convey an atmosphere of physical exertion, labor, or stress. Incorporate these man-made smells in your writing to enhance your storytelling or underscore certain emotions.

Chemical : bleach, gasoline, ammonia
Perfume : floral, musky, subtle
Sweat : salty, metallic, pungent

Complex Scents

Complex scents are a blend of various smells that are often difficult to separate into distinct components. These scents can add depth and interest to your writing, as they are not easily identifiable or may evoke different experiences for different people. When capturing complex scents, consider the layers of smells present, such as a combination of fruity and floral notes or the merging of earthy and green scents. Describing complex scents in your writing can help create a sense of atmosphere and intrigue.

Fruity floral : a blend of fruit and flower aromas
Earthy-green : an intermingling of soils and plants
Lemony-chemical : a mixture of citrus and synthetic elements

Remember to use a confident, knowledgeable, clear, and neutral tone when describing the various categories of smells in your writing. By using second person point of view (you, your, yours), your readers will feel more engaged and connected to the sensory experiences you are conveying.

Describing Intensity of Smells

Light and faint scents.

When describing light and faint scents in your writing, you can draw attention to the subtle nature of the aroma. These scents might require a character to take a deep breath to fully detect them, or they may be barely noticeable. Feel free to use words like delicate , mild , or soft to convey the lightness of a scent. For example, you can describe a gentle floral aroma wafting through the air on a spring day.

Heavy and Strong Scents

Heavy and strong scents are more distinct and tend to linger in the air or on objects. To describe these scents, choose words that evoke their intensity, like robust , rich , or even heady . Your character might walk into a room and immediately notice a heavy, smoky smell hanging in the air. Additionally, you can highlight the warmth associated with certain strong scents, like a spicy or hot aroma, to further convey their potency.

Overpowering Scents

Overpowering scents can be so intense that they dominate the senses and might even cause physical discomfort. When describing these powerful aromas, words like pungent , overwhelming , and intense can effectively convey their force. For instance, your character may feel their eyes watering and nose burning due to an overpowering scent of cleaning chemicals. Pay attention to the characters’ reactions to such smells to emphasize their impact on the scene.

Tips for Describing Smells in Writing

Relating smells to other senses.

When describing smells in your writing, try to relate them to other senses, like taste or touch. By doing this, you can create additional sensory connections for your reader. For example, you could mention that a certain smell is reminiscent of a particular taste or feeling, which can make it easier for the reader to imagine and relate to the described smell. Think about how smells often have similar attributes to tastes, like sweetness or sourness, and incorporate these into your descriptions.

Using Smells to Evoke Emotions

A powerful way to use smells in writing is by connecting them to emotions. As the sense of smell is closely linked to memory and feelings, associating a specific smell with a character’s emotions can effectively convey their state of mind and create an emotional bond with the reader. Consider how certain scents might evoke feelings of happiness, nostalgia, or even fear, and use that connection to enhance the emotional depth of your writing. For example, the smell of freshly baked bread might evoke feelings of warmth and comfort, while the smell of a damp basement might evoke feelings of unease or anxiety.

Choosing the Right Words

When describing smells, it’s essential to choose the right words to convey the message clearly. Be specific and avoid using vague or overly complex language. Instead, use concrete and descriptive terms that will paint a clear picture for the reader. Some helpful ways to do this include:

Use adjectives : Employ a variety of adjectives to describe the smell’s qualities, such as sweet, pungent, or musty.
Analogies and metaphors : Draw comparisons between the smell and other recognizable scents, tastes, or feelings to help the reader understand the sensory experience better.
Onomatopoeia : Use words that imitate the sound associated with an object or action, such as “sizzle” or “pop,” to help your reader connect with the sensation of the smell.
Show, don’t tell : Rather than merely stating that a character can smell something, describe the actual scent, the effect it has on the character, and the resulting emotions.

By following these guidelines, you can effectively describe smells in your writing, engaging your reader’s senses and creating a more immersive experience.

Examples of How to Describe Smells

Using smells in character descriptions.

To create vivid characters, writers can use descriptions of scents to convey personality traits and evoke emotions in the reader. For example, you can describe a character’s personal fragrance, such as earthy, floral, or crisp. These words can help characterize them as masculine, feminine, or even androgynous.

Here are a few examples of smells used in character descriptions:

Her scent was a delicate mixture of lavender and vanilla, making her presence soothing and comforting.
He carried the unmistakable aroma of fresh pine, evoking feelings of being in a forest.
Their scent was a confusing blend of citrus and cinnamon, giving them an air of mystery and unpredictability.

Setting the Scene with Scents

In addition to character descriptions, you can use smells to help set the scene or create a mood in your writing. Descriptions of scents can transport your reader to different environments, providing an immersive experience and enriching your narrative.

Here are a few examples of using smells to establish a scene:

The sweet smell of freshly baked pastries greeted her as she entered the cozy bakery.
A salty sea breeze filled the air, transporting her back to summer days spent at the beach.
The pungent odor of gasoline and burning rubber filled the bustling garage, immersing the reader in the world of auto repairs.

While describing smells in your writing, remember to keep the tone confident, knowledgeable, neutral, and clear. In doing so, your descriptions will be more effective and enriching for your readers.

Common Pitfalls in Describing Smells

Overuse of adjectives.

One common pitfall in describing smells is the overuse of adjectives. While adjectives are necessary to convey the intensity or quality of a smell, too many can leave the reader overwhelmed and confused. It’s important to strike a balance and use adjectives judiciously. Try to focus on choosing a few strong, specific adjectives that accurately convey the scent you’re describing. Using too many adjectives can also make your writing appear less polished and professional.

Describing Smell without Context

Another issue writers encounter when describing smells is neglecting to provide context. Smells don’t exist in isolation; they are often tied to a specific setting or situation. To make your descriptions more effective, try to include contextual details that will help the reader imagine the scent more vividly. For example, instead of simply describing a smell as “musty,” you might indicate that the musty odor is reminiscent of a damp, old basement, which not only grounds the scent in a physical space but also allows your reader to better visualize and understand the smell.

Ignoring the Readers’ Experiences and Associations

Finally, it’s important to consider your readers’ experiences and associations when describing smells. People’s interpretations of scents can vary widely due to their personal experiences and cultural backgrounds. What smells delicious to one person might be off-putting to another. In your descriptions, try to take these differences into account by using relatable, universal examples that most readers will understand. At the same time, avoid using highly subjective or personal associations that may not resonate with everyone. By keeping the reader in mind and considering their experiences, you can create more effective, engaging descriptions of smells in your writing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can i effectively convey scents in my writing.

To convey scents effectively in your writing, you should provide a vivid and specific description that helps the reader imagine the smell. Think about the different aspects of the scent – its intensity, its duration, and the sensations it evokes. Make connections with memories or emotions, and use sensory terms and similes to enhance the description.

What are some sensory terms used for describing various smells?

Sensory terms used for describing smells can be grouped into different categories, such as

Floral (e.g., rose, jasmine)
Fruity (e.g., citrus, berries)
Earthy (e.g., damp soil, petrichor)
Spicy (e.g., cinnamon, cloves)
Sweet (e.g., vanilla, caramel)
Pungent (e.g., ammonia, vinegar)

These terms help you create a more detailed and immersive experience for your reader.

What are some ways to describe a compelling fragrance?

When describing a compelling fragrance, consider:

Its main scent (e.g., lavender, sandalwood)
Its subtler notes (e.g., hints of lime or vanilla)
The way it evolves over time (initial burst, heart notes, and base notes)
The feelings it evokes (e.g., warmth, calm, energy)

Use comparisons and similes to make the description relatable and engaging.

How can I illustrate the smell of a person or an environment?

To illustrate the smell of a person or an environment, focus on the most characteristic and dominant scents associated with them. For a person, consider their perfume, body odor, or even the laundry detergent they use. For an environment, think of the combination of smells present, such as the saltiness of the sea, the vegetation, or the exhaust fumes in a city. Use sensory details and create a vivid description that transports your reader to the scene.

What phrases can be used to describe unpleasant odors?

Here are a few phrases you can use to describe unpleasant odors:

Rancid or sour
Musty or stale
Overpowering or suffocating
Acrid or sharp
Fetid or rotten

Be creative with your language and comparisons to help your reader understand the intensity and nature of the unpleasant odor.

How can I incorporate the sense of smell into descriptions of natural surroundings?

To incorporate the sense of smell into descriptions of natural surroundings, focus on the most characteristic scents of the setting. Think about the smells associated with the place – the earthy aroma of a forest, the fresh scent of a meadow, the salty tang of the ocean, or the fragrant blossoms in a garden. Use descriptive language and draw connections with memories or emotions to enrich your depiction and engage your reader.

75 Words That Describe Smells – A Resource For Writers

Writers know that using the senses is a great way to make stories come alive. This post is about how writers could and should use words that describe smells .

Great writers use the five senses when they write. They make their stories real by allowing us to experience what their characters see, smell, hear, taste, and touch.

Using the senses is one of the best ways for writers to learn how to show and not tell.

I have written about words that describe taste , and touch , and sound in previous posts. We also have a post on words that describe colours . In this post, I am writing about words that describe smells.

About Smell

A smell is ‘the pleasant or unpleasant quality of something that you notice when you breathe in through your nose’. To smell is ‘to notice or recognise the smell of something’.

The Power Of Smell

Smell is one of the most powerful senses.

It can transport us back in time in a moment. The sense of smell is more closely linked with memory than any of the other senses.
It also evokes emotions. Smell is one of the most important reasons people are attracted to each other.
It is one of our most important survival mechanisms. A bad smell warns us that we are in danger, for example, when we smell smoke or rotten food.

Writing Tip

Because of this power, writers can use the sense of smell to show a character ‘s background, or to move a plot forward.

Quite Interesting :

You can say ‘I smelled’ or ‘I smelt’ if you are using the past tense of the verb. ‘Smelt’ is more commonly used in British spelling and ‘smelled’ is used in US spelling.
If you lose your sense of smell you can feel isolated and cut-off from the world. The loss of the sense of smell can ‘affect one’s ability to form and maintain close personal relationships and can lead to depression’.
Anosmia refers to the total loss of the sense of smell.

75 Words That Describe Smells

General words describing smells.

Use these words that describe smells when you are setting a scene.

anosmic – odourless, no smell at all
antiseptic – disinfectant smell / or no smell
aroma – a smell that is strong but pleasant
comforting – pleasant aroma
delicate – subtle, faint, smell that is not overpowering
evocative – a smell that makes you think of something, often something that you experienced in the past
faint – a smell that is not strong
fragrance – a sweet or pleasant odour
heady – strongly aromatic, pungent, rich, intoxicating, spicy, piquant – not a mild smell
heavy – a sweet and strong smell
intoxicating – A smell that exhilarates, disorients, or excites
laden – a literary word that describes a strong smell
odour/odor (US spelling) – a smell
odorous – a strong smell
odourless – with no smell
piquant – stinging, pungent, an aroma that tickles the nose.
powerful – a strong smell
redolent – smelling of something
reek – to smell strongly and unpleasantly
scent – a particular smell, especially a pleasant one
whiff – a slight smell of something

Words That Describe Unpleasant Smells

acrid – a smell that is strong, bitter, and unpleasant in your nose and throat
damp – a wet smell
fetid – an unpleasant smell, usually caused by decay
frowsty – an unpleasant smell caused by a lack of fresh air
funky – a strong and unpleasant smell
fusty – smells old, dusty, or damp
high – an old-fashioned word that describes a strong flavour and smell
malodorous – scented, aromatic, redolent, fragrant, stinking.
musty – unpleasant, stale, and not fresh
nasty – unpleasant smell
nauseating – a smell that causes disgust, loathing, or revulsion
noisome – extremely unpleasant, especially because of being very dirty or having a bad smell
overpowering – very strong smell
pungent – a smell that is strong and sharp
putrid – decaying and smelling very bad
rancid – rancid food is no longer fresh and has an unpleasant smell
rank – a strong unpleasant smell or taste
ripe – a strong or unpleasant smell
sickly – makes you feel sick
smelly – an unpleasant smell
sour – a taste or smell that is no longer fresh
stale – not fresh or pleasant
stench – a very bad smell, especially of decay
stinking – an unpleasant smell
stuffy – a smell caused by an area with no fresh air in it

Words That Describe Pleasant Smells

ambrosial – sweet smelling, fragrant, aromatic
aromatic – perfumed, fragrant, scented, sweet smelling, pungent, usually pleasing
bouquet – the particular smell of a wine or flower
delicious – a pleasant smell
fresh – a pleasant, newly made smell that can be clean, clear, cool, crisp, refreshing, sweet, warm
fragrant – with a pleasant smell
perfumed – pleasant to smell because perfume has been added or used, or it has a natural perfume
rich – a smell that is strong in a pleasant way
savoury/savory (US Spelling) – pleasant to taste – spicy, pungent, flavoursome, and aromatic, salty but not sweet
scented – a pleasant smell
sweet – a pleasant smell that is sweet
tangy – a smell or taste that is strong and bitter in a pleasant way

Words That Smell Like Something

citrusy – characteristic of citrus fruit in scent
coppery – smelling of copper
earthy – smelling like earth
fishy – smelling like fish
floral – smelling of flowers
flowery – a flowery smell reminds you of flowers
fruity – smelling like fruit
gamy – having the distinctive fragrance of game
garlicky – smelling of garlic
leathery – smells like leather
lemony – smells like lemon
medicinal – smells like medicine
minty – smelling of mint
musky – similar to musk in smell
peachy – similar to a peach in colour, taste, or smell
smoky – smelling of smoke
woody – an earthy smell, smelling of wood

Top Tip : Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop .

If you enjoyed this post, read:

106 Ways To Describe Sounds
20 Words Used To Describe Specific Tastes And Flavours
209 Words To Describe Touch
Three Simple Ways To Show And Not Tell
12 Crucial Things To Remember About Setting
Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language
20 Fun Ways To Find An Idea For A Plot
Where Should You Begin Your Memoir?
Use These 7 Gaslighting Phrases To Make Your Antagonist More Manipulative

Sources: https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/smelling-unpleasant https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/pleasant-smells https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/smelling-like-a-particular-thing https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-smells-and-lack-of-smell https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/descriptive-words-for-scents.html https://world-food-and-wine.com/describing-aroma

Description , Show Don't Tell , Writing Resource , Writing Tips from Amanda Patterson

Sniff This: The Ultimate Guide On How To Describe A Smell

The nose can recognise more than one trillion distinct scents.

The sense of smell is incredibly powerful. It can evoke memories and emotions, and sometimes we even use smells to describe things we can't see.

But what do we do when we want to describe a smell to someone else? How can we accurately capture the aroma of a rose or the fragrance of a newly-washed shirt in words?

Describing scents can be frustrating, I know. Which is why I’ve written this article diving into how we can describe smells effectively as well as compiled a word list of scent-related words.

What exactly is a smell?

A smell is created when molecules interact with the receptors in our nose.

These molecules can come from anything: foods, drinks, plants, flowers, pets, and even people. Once the molecules reach our nose, they interact with the receptors in our nose, which send a signal to our brain. This is what we perceive as smell.

Our sense of smell is directly connected to the brain's limbic system, which is responsible for controlling our emotions and memory. That's why certain smells can take us back to a certain time or place in an instant.

The sense of smell is often overlooked, but it is one of the most powerful ways to evoke memories and emotions.

Different types of smells

You might be tempted to say "it smells like a rose," but that's not very helpful to someone who doesn’t know what a rose smells like. Also, there are different types of rose scents— musky, floral, sweet, and the list goes on.

When you come across a smell that you can't quite put your finger on, try to identify which category it falls into. This will give you a place to start when describing it to others.

“All smells can be classified as one of 10 types of aroma.”

After years of research, scientists have concluded that 10 is the minimum number of categories that they can categorise scent into: fragrant, woody/resinous, fruity (non-citrus), chemical, minty/peppermint, sweet, popcorn, lemon, pungent and decayed.

Categorising a scent is just the tip of the iceberg. A lot more can be done to immerse your reader’s imagination.

How do you describe a smell in writing?

When describing a smell, try to think about all the different aspects of it. What does it remind you of? What sensations does it evoke?

The more specific you can be when writing, the easier it will be for your readers to visualize and understand what you are trying to communicate. Using a dictionary can help you find the precise words and meanings that accurately convey your thoughts. However, there is no one right answer to describe a smell. It's all about using your sensory words to create a vivid picture in the reader's mind.

Here are some approaches you can take when starting to think about how to describe a smell.

1. A smell is often described with adjectives

We often smell things before we see them, and smells can evoke incredibly strong memories and emotions. That's why we use adjectives to describe smells— they create a vivid picture in our minds.

Adjectives can also help us communicate our reactions to smells. For example, if you walk into a room and smell cinnamon, you might say "that's a cozy smell." If the smell is unpleasant, you might say "that room reeks!”

These adjectives are used to describe the smell's intensity, it's qualities, or how it makes you feel.

Describe any smell with Hypotenuse AI

Simply give our AI a few keywords, and watch us turn it into surprisingly great blog posts, product descriptions and marketing copy.

2. Categorizing them according to the 5 cardinal tastes

Qualities of a smell can be broken down into the five cardinal tastes: sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and umami. You can’t exactly smell these, but you can experience the sensation of these tastes.

This is how you might describe these smells when writing:

Sweet: sugary, saccharine, sickly
Sour: balsamic, tart, acidic
Bitter: earthy, roasted, powdery
Salty: aquatic, marine, ocean
Umami: meaty, savory

3. Diving into the nuances of scent

You could also try to describe the nuances of the scent: what are the individual notes that make up the overall aroma?

Some adjectives to describe the nuances of scent:

Flowers: soft, delicate, powdery
Citrus fruits: tangy, tart, acidic
Woods: earthy, musky, deep
Spices: warm, fragrant, inviting

4. Describing a Scent by Intensity

You can also describe a scent by its intensity: is it light and airy, or heavy and earthy?

Words to describe intense smells:

Words to describe weak smells:

5. Describing a Scent Using Feelings and Emotions

Identifying feelings and emotions that a scent gives rise to can help make your description more evocative.

This helps with whether you want your smell to have a positive or negative connotation attached to it. For example, an intense smell may be “rancid” to some (negative connotation), and just “sharp” to others (neutral connotation)

Positive words might include "invigorating," "relaxing," and "energizing."
Negative words might be "stinky," "musty," and "foul.”

List of words to describe pleasant scents:

List of words to describe neutral/unpleasant scents:.

naueseating
overpowering
overwhelming
sickeningly sweet
suffocating

Of course, scents are not only categorised into pleasant and unpleasant smells. Let’s look at words describing some common smells to see how we can stimulate your imagination.

Words to describe the smell of rain

The smell of rain right after a storm is a scent that many of us are familiar with.

Petrichor ( noun) the pleasant scent when rain falls on dry soil.

Words to describe the smell of rain:

Words to describe the smell of alcohol in writing.

The use of alcohol is pervasive, from being used as a disinfectant in hospitals, to being consumed in our drinks.

Words to describe the smell of alcohol in a hospital setting:

Words to describe the smell of alcohol breath (drunkard’s breath).

Smell is one of the most evocative senses, conjuring memories and affecting moods faster than any other sense.

Whether you're describing a smell you love or trying to capture a scent for a creative project, it's important to know how to describe it in a way that accurately conveys its essence. When describing a smell, it's important to be as specific as possible, and to use adjectives that will help the reader to imagine the scent.

With these tips, you'll be able to capture any smell you encounter and make your readers feel like they can smell it too.

Try our AI writing tool to fully unlock the potential of your olfactory descriptions. Engage your audience and bring scents to life with enhanced writing. Get ready to captivate readers with every description.

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How to Write Evocatively & Pull Readers Into Your Story: 3 Nose-Tickling Examples

by Henneke | 36 enchanting opinions, add yours? :)

How to Describe Smells in Writing - 3 Nose-Tickling Examples

It happened to me recently.

I was reading the book Revelations in Air by Jude Stewart.

As I’m reading, I feel like I’m standing next to her smelling the orange she’s peeling. I notice a whiff of lavender as she dabs the scented oil on her wrist. Oh, and the smell of freshly-cut grass!

How can she describe smells so fabulously?

I quickly let go of my envy and begin to study her writing: What makes Stewart’s descriptions so evocative? What can I learn from her?

Describing aromas may seem like a niche writing technique but the lessons apply to almost any writing, fiction or non-fiction.

Shall we look at some examples first?

Example 1: The aromas of peanut butter

Here’s how Stewart describes peanut butter:

It’s rich, smoky, surprisingly deep. The scent stacks in clear layers: at the top floats a note of honeyed sweetness. A heavy swirl of oil forms the grounding base note. In the fat middle, it’s all sticky, particulate peanuts: a smell that matches the taste with uncanny fidelity.

When I read this description, I think: Yes, I know the fat middle with the peanutty smell. I also know the oily base note. But the sweetness? I’m not sure.

I grab a pot of peanut butter and sniff. At first, I only smell peanuts and oil. Then I let the smell come to my nose more quietly, and there it is: Sweetness.

To describe a smell more accurately, you first have to sniff more attentively. You have to stop and pay attention. That’s how you can detect the different layers of a smell—honeyed sweetness, oily base, and sticky peanuts.

Example 2: The smell of petrichor

Petrichor is the smell of rain after a long period of dry weather. Stewart starts her description like this:

Petrichor, the smell of parched earth after rain, is immersive, roomy enough to move around in. Its bright mineral tang is edged with vegetal green. There’s a hint of sourness, haloed by fresh water droplets. Petrichor lifts the ground, with all its smells, closer to the nose. It’s as if the earth has exhaled. Because this smell emanates from millions of pinpoints at once, petrichor has a stereoscopic quality. Inside the smell, each moment seems to dilate and slow. It fills the air with relief.

Describing a smell can be tricky. In his book An Immense World , Ed Yong suggests the English language has only 3 dedicated words for smells : “stinky, fragrant, and musty.” So, we borrow words from other senses, use metaphors, or name the source of a smell (e.g., rose). In the above description of petrichor, the phrases mineral tang and sourness describe tastes as much as (or probably more than) smell.

Stewart turns her description of petrichor into a 3-dimensional experience: It’s immersive and roomy enough to move around in. It’s as if the earth has exhaled (such a lovely example of personification !). The air is filled with relief.

Isn’t that lovely?

Example 3: The scent of roses

How would you describe the scent of roses?

Perhaps: Flowery, a tad sweet. The roses in our garden are still in bud, so no chance to sniff their scent for a more accurate description. I’m inclined to suggest that roses smell like … eh … roses, yeah?

Here’s how Stewart starts her description of the scent of roses:

At first the smell of roses fills the nose in a giddy rush, sweet and headlong. The burst of luxury feels total. But that rush rapidly settles down and shades into a regal stillness. You become aware of joining a vast throng of admirers in a shared contemplation. The scent’s wildness doesn’t stay wild for long in the nose; inevitably, one recalls one’s grandmother in her church best. Yet behind its rounded, classical quality, the scent still emanates some heat, prickly and pollen-like. It evokes late summer, lazily crawling insects, the finery of silken petals rotting under a bush, the sprawl of untidy nature. Inside the smell of roses one senses the momentary quality of life, how rapidly loveliness blossoms and fades, the nearness of beauty to rot.

Stewart relates how she experiences the scent in two stages: The giddy rush that settles down into a regal stillness. Next, she describes the memories the scents evoke: Grandmother, late summer, crawling insects. And lastly, there’s a philosophical note on the fading of beauty and the momentary quality of life.

Smells can ground you into the present. Forget all your worries. Forget all your stress. Instead savor the smells in the air around you, here and now. I love this when I’m cooking. I love how the smells evolve and intermingle. It’s a full-body experience. As Stewart writes, olfactory receptors not only “line our noses but also our skin, skeletal muscles, and major organs.” We smell with our entire bodies.

But aromas aren’t just about the present. They can also evoke strong memories and transport us back to the past. As Stewart suggests, smell is a form of “emotional time travel:”

(…) important memories in your life are nearly always emotional. When an important episodic memory forms, we’re feeling all the feels, registering all the details clearly. If we happen to smell something distinctive during that experience, the amygdala, hippocampus, and olfactory bulbs fuse feelings, memory, and smell together effortlessly.

To describe a smell, you can choose to stay in the present or you can go back in time. Like music, aromas can evoke strong memories.

The art of describing a smell

As we’ve seen there are at least 3 techniques for describing a smell.

First, you can use sensory language to describe the different layers of an aroma, and how it changes over time.

This technique requires us to pay close attention: To sniff, and sniff again, and then to put into words what we’re smelling. This may require patience and practice. Stewart admits that while working on the chapter about the smell of skin, she sniffs her partner’s t-shirt for 20 (!!!) minutes.

Next, you can turn a smell into a multi-sensory or 3-dimensional experience.

You can describe how you experience a smell, how it caresses or prickles your nose or how you can move in it—like the softly sweet smell of honey that greeted me and enveloped me when I cycled towards a field of rapeseed a few weeks ago.

Lastly, you can narrate the memories and associations that a smell evokes.

I have many aroma-infused memories of living in Hong Kong in the late 90s. I remember the excitement and slight trepidation of arriving at the old airport and disembarking into the clammy dampness with the overbearing smells of kerosine and hot tarmac. Oh, how I wish I had paid more attention and made notes!

How to become a better writer

Improving our writing skills is about more than vocabulary, sentence structure, and creative writing techniques .

We also need to practice the art of noticing.

What do you observe when you pay closer attention? How can you describe an interaction, a problem, a solution, a person, or a situation more precisely?

What happens when you experience the world with a childlike wonder? What attracts attention when you follow your curiosity?

In our fast-paced world, it can be hard to stop and pay attention. Our mobile phones, the news, social media are always there to distract us. The standard mantra is to go faster, do more, and be more productive.

Yet, slowing down helps us observe better. It helps us be present, savor life, and experience a moment more deeply.

Plus, it helps us write more accurately and more vividly, so we can invite our readers into a different world.

So, let’s stop to smell the roses.

Happy writing!

PS Thank you to Phil LeMaster for the excellent book recommendation.

Book mentioned in this post:

Revelations in Air by Jude Stewart (highly recommended)

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Reader Interactions

Leave a comment and join the conversation cancel reply.

September 27, 2022 at 10:44 am

Hi Henneke, What a great post! Finding it useful as I write about New York’s architecture 🙂

I hope everything is well with you ❤️ Virginia

September 28, 2022 at 8:37 pm

I have no doubts that your writing about New York’s architecture will be great, infused with your passion. ❤️

June 12, 2022 at 9:01 pm

I took an online Memoir Writing Course last year then found several people fron that group to be my accountability partners. All of us “graduates” are now in the facebook group for alumni. May I link to your article there? It’s so wonderful and adds to the first thing we learned — show don’t tell. Trudy

June 13, 2022 at 9:46 am

Yes, sure. I’m always grateful when people share my work. 🙂

June 12, 2022 at 1:38 pm

Writing about the senses will be an important part of my efforts to explore them more deeply. It is always a pleasure to read your blog because it makes me feel positive, loving, and compassionate.

I appreciate your blog very much.

June 12, 2022 at 3:27 pm

Awww, that’s such lovely feedback. Thank you, Bhupendra. Happy writing!

June 9, 2022 at 5:17 pm

Smell, infrequently used, but deeply evocative, especially in terms of memories. Thank you for this overview of how to describe smell in creative writing. I’ll be returning to this.

June 10, 2022 at 11:08 am

Thank you, Alex. I’ve wondered why we use smell so infrequently. Is describing a smell just too hard?

June 7, 2022 at 9:08 am

Hi Henneke,

I am a writer too, and I am always looking for new inspiration and guides that will help me improve. I learned a lot from this article, and I will definitely try to write like this. All these examples were amazing. I think you write beautifully. Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing article and guide. It was very helpful.

June 7, 2022 at 9:39 am

I’m glad you found it helpful, John. Happy writing!

May 30, 2022 at 6:58 am

Hi Henneke, Sorry I read this post a bit late. I admire you a lot. I started my own blog and your course on blog writing has guided me a lot in becoming a better writer.

May 30, 2022 at 12:35 pm

There’s no deadline for reading my posts. You can read them at any time 🙂

I’m glad you enjoyed my blog writing course, Mary!

May 25, 2022 at 6:05 am

We don’t realize how complex our senses are until we try to describe them using words, which is really all we have. Jude’s attempts are beautiful, almost poetic. She masterfully uses words and phrases to ping the faraway places in our minds that smells occupy, evoking memories and emotions.

I can’t wait to read this book.

Thanks, Henneke.

May 25, 2022 at 9:33 am

Jude Stewart’s aroma descriptions are amazing, aren’t they? I hope you’ll enjoy her book, too!

May 24, 2022 at 10:21 pm

Great piece!

May 24, 2022 at 8:04 pm

Henneke, your post seems to roll off your tongue, or shall I say nose, with ease. This really brought a smile to my face. I look forward to thinking more deeply about senses in all of my writing. Thank you!

May 24, 2022 at 8:54 pm

I’m so glad you enjoyed this. I felt very much inspired by Jude Stewart’s book and it was such a joy to write this (still did quite some editing, though!).

May 24, 2022 at 6:58 pm

Be prepared. ( I’m surprised this hasn’t already happened.) But, be prepared for it. You pick up a random note from your desk. You find a file tucked away and forgotten on your computer. You read it. You are impressed. You wonder. Who wrote that… and realize… you did! If it hasn’t happened yet, it will. Enjoy that moment when it does. Grace and peace.

May 24, 2022 at 8:52 pm

What a lovely suggestion (and a compliment!). Thank you so much, Curtis. When it happens, I’ll think of your words and remember all your encouragement through the years. Grace and peace to you, too.

May 24, 2022 at 5:56 pm

One word – Lovely. I don’t know how Stewart even managed to create such descriptions. To me, there are an impossible task (till now), but maybe with time and practice, I might achieve .05% of this writing style. Yes, smells do drag us back into memory lane. The smell of a hot summer afternoon, the smell of freshly washed clothes, the smell of soap after my Mother had her bath, the smell of my Father’s shirt (it was a mix of Old Spice aftershave and John Players cigarettes) – it was as if a new smell had been given birth with their combination. I envy Stewart for having the ability to write such exotic descriptions. It is a class apart and will make any content stand out from the rest. I wish I could write like her…

May 24, 2022 at 8:51 pm

First, I think you’re underestimating your own ability. You’ll do much better than you think. I can see that you’ve already been inspired to think of smells and memories. I love the smell of line-dried laundry.

Secondly, you and I don’t need to reach the same level of smell descriptions as Jude Stewart. That’s unless you also want to write a guide book on smells! Just thinking about smells and weaving a one-sentence description into your writing now is more than most writers do, and that’ll make your writing already stand out.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Subhankar. Happy writing!

May 24, 2022 at 4:55 pm

Fantastic insight. Writing is more than vocabulary, sentence structure, and creative writing techniques. I’ve been concentrating solely on those aspects. Now, I see beyond. Thanks for sharing.

May 24, 2022 at 5:51 pm

I think it’s a logical focus. It’s what most writing books and blog focus on. Me, too!

Thank you for stopping by, Donna. I much appreciate it.

May 24, 2022 at 4:52 pm

“That night, it felt as if the world was about to be deluged. I could feel moisture on my skin through the air. My stepdad and I closed packs in their covers and he grabbed his raincoat. I didn’t have one. —The smell pouring from the sky was like mushrooms and sky.–It was like everything living, everything possible. Lightning erupted inside dark fields, close enough I could see strokes of a downpour through the night.”-Craig Childs, “Tracing Time; Seasons of Rock Art in the Colorado Plateau.”

I’ll find myself sniffing the sky when the clouds build in the afternoon from now on after reading that and Jude’s “Revelations”

Thanks for the shoutout/link!

But I really need to thank you for the inspiration to notice wonderful things everywhere.

May 24, 2022 at 5:50 pm

I’m finding myself sniffing a lot more, too. I also found it interesting that our smell receptors regenerate. As Stewart writes: “Olfactory receptors—the receptors in our noses whose proteins bind to smell molecules—regenerate every four to eight weeks and change in response to whatever new smells they encounter. Smelling new scents, articulating what you smell in words, learning to identify similar smells—in short, practicing your sense of smell is brain-building, particularly in older adults.” Such a nice incentive to develop our sense of smell!

Craig Childs’ writing is amazing, really multi-sensory. I’ve look forward to reading “Tracing Time,” too! Thank you for all your inspiration and recommendation, Phil. A good book recommendation is so precious. A few hours well spent. A new world opens.

May 24, 2022 at 1:43 pm

Yes! Describing smells will take a lot of practice and I will have to be creative! Thanks for the book suggestion, I’ll make a note of that for future reading. I so enjoy reading your newsletters or posts, however you would describe your writing to us. I try to learn from them. I need to sit with this one awhile and get used to being more aware of smells, sniffing more and being more present in the moments I experience ☺️

May 24, 2022 at 2:05 pm

Reading “Revelations in Air” made me a lot more aware of smells, too. There are interesting exercises in the book, too. Like keeping a smell journal, varying your sniffing technique, and comparing smells of similar items (e.g., try to smell the difference between types of vinegar). It’s really interesting to start paying more attention to smells and try to describe them (it’s hard!).

May 24, 2022 at 1:25 pm

A lovely and imagination-stirring piece, Henneke. I’ve learned to take my small notebook with me when visiting a park or garden as I know the descriptive sensory words and connections that come to mind are all too fleeting if I don’t capture them in the moment! Will definitely add this book to my reading list.

May 24, 2022 at 1:26 pm

That’s such a great habit. I should do that, too. I always think that I’ll remember.

May 24, 2022 at 2:01 pm

So true. Just a little note. On the small notebook idea. Another tactic. You can use your smartphone to voice record your thoughts or write them. Or even make a video. I wonder if we will ever be able to record an aroma.

May 24, 2022 at 2:06 pm

Wouldn’t that be interesting if we could keep a box with aromas from the past just like a photo album?

May 24, 2022 at 6:21 pm

My dad taught me a lot about the sense of smell. For example, he said that once you have smelled an aroma, you will never forget it. If you ever smell it again, it will immediately pop up in your memory.

I didn’t know that! So interesting.

May 24, 2022 at 11:58 am

Loved ever bit of this article. Keep ’em coming dear Henneke! You’re my writing star!

May 24, 2022 at 12:04 pm

Thank you so much, Isabel. It was such a joy to write this 🙂

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How to Write the Sense of Smell

by Ellen Buikema

Great writers make their stories authentic by allowing us to experience what their characters hear, see, smell, taste, and touch—capturing the senses so we are fully involved. Adding sensory details about smell into your writing creates a stronger story bond for your reader.

Scent memory is potent.

Memories fade as time passes, but a faint whiff of a loved one’s perfume can send your mind’s eye smack into a scene from a forgotten past. Sense of smell is a person’s most robust sense. You can be in a familiar place with a blindfold on and your nose will let you know where you are.

The sense of smell is more closely linked with memory than any other sense.
It brings emotions to mind. We are attracted to each other by smell.
It helps us survive. A foul smell warns us of danger, like when we smell food gone bad or smoke choking the air.

Sensory unit in the classroom.

I introduced my young students to lessons on the five senses. For the sense of smell, I used those old black plastic film canisters with tiny holes poked in the lid so there was no way for the students to peek at what they were going to smell.

Every canister was labeled with a number. Each child checked out the canisters one at a time to avoid copycatting. Their answers were noted and discussed later during circle time. I enjoyed watching their facial expressions during whiffs. Everyone smiled at the cinnamon oil.

One child smelled my neck and said, “ You smell like my auntie. I don’t know why.” Must have been the cocoa butter.

Writers can use the sense of smell to show a character’s background or to move a plot forward.

Say your main protagonist is a child in an orphanage trying to come up with a way to run away from her situation. A fire breaks out somewhere in the building. She smells smoke, alerts whomever she can to the danger (she is a good-hearted character). Recognizing her chance to leave in the chaos, she grabs her belongings and runs, thereby moving the story forward.

Ways to develop a sense of smell in writing.

Smelling danger.

Our brains are wired in a way that makes us hyper-alert to unfamiliar sensory information, including smells. If you want to unsettle you characters, add in rotting, chemically, goosebump raising smells into your story.

Our sense of smell adjusts and after a while there are scents you won’t notice.
Walk back inside and take note of what you smell.
Open up the refrigerator. Do you have a science experiment brewing in the rotter? (In our house that’s the drawer where food is forgotten and goes to die.)
Think about how certain smells, known and unknown, might help to define your characters.
Write a paragraph about the smells your character loves and hates.

Smelling recall of another time, person, or place

Smells can cause flashbacks to warm, wonderful times or a place of horror. The same smell can bring joy or pain dependent upon the individuals experience at the time they were exposed to that particular odor.

Some people love the smell of lilies. I cannot stand them. To me they reek of death. I don’t know why, and probably would need hypnosis therapy to figure it out.

Your best friend’s house from childhood
Family homes
Movie theaters, drive-in and indoors
What smells do you associate with those places in time? What emotions?
Write a paragraph about the odors and try to call to mind the emotion without calling it by a specific name.

Many authors use sensory writing well.

The following quotes are from writers who use the sense of smell effectively..

“The smell of a grow room is the scent of transpiration, of fecund exertion. It’s the trapped sweat of a high school locker room, the funk of a hockey jersey steaming on a radiator.” Bruce Barcott, Weed the People

“We moved on the Tuesday before Labor Day. I knew what the weather was like the second I got up. I knew because I caught my mother sniffing under her arms. She always does that when it’s hot and humid, to make sure her deodorant’s working. I don’t use deodorant yet. I don’t think people start to smell bad until they’re at least twelve. So I’ve still got a few months to go.” Judy Blume, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

“Chili dogs, funnel cakes, fried bread, majorly greasy pizza, candy apples, ye gods. Evil food smells amazing -- which is either proof that there is a Satan or some equivalent out there, or that the Almighty doesn't actually want everyone to eat organic tofu all the time. I can't decide.” Jim Butcher, Side Jobs: Stories from the Dresden Files

“I emitted some civetlike female stink, a distinct perfume of sexual wanting, that he had followed to find me here in the dark.” — Janet Fitch, White Oleander

“So when I closed my eyes, when I drifted into a half dream and found myself in that underpass, I may have been able to feel the cold and smell the rank, stale air, I may have been able to see a figure walking towards me, spitting rage, fist raised, but it wasn’t true.” Paula Hawkins, The Girl on the Train

“Mr. Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls. He liked thick giblet soup, nutty gizzards, a stuffed roast heart, liver slices fried with crust crumbs, fried hencods’ roes. Most of all he liked grilled mutton kidneys which gave to his palate a fine tang of faintly scented urine.” James Joyce , Ulysses

"After a while, I stretched out on one of the benches and closed my eyes. The kerosene smelled like lacquer, and I kept feeling waves of nausea. My bones were cold. I could isolate the icy scent of pine trees that sneaked through the walls. Sometimes grace is a ribbon of mountain air that gets in through the cracks." Anne Lamott, Grace (Eventually), Thoughts on Faith

“…ripe piss, ancient cabbage, dead and rotting rat — was on Danny's skin, in his hair, in the fibers of his suit; Varian inhaled that scent like a penance.” Julie Orringer , The Flight Portfolio

“There is little difference between the Zulu warrior who smeared his body with Lion’s fat and the modern woman who dabs hers with expensive perfume. The one was trying to acquire the courage of the king of beasts, the other is attempting to acquire the irresistible sexuality of flowers. The underlying principle is the same.” Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume

About Ellen

Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written non-fiction for parents and a series of chapter books for children with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Works In Progress are, The Hobo Code , YA historical fiction and Crystal Memories , YA fantasy.

Find her at http://ellenbuikema.com or on Amazon .

Top Image Photo by samer daboul from Pexels

23 comments on “How to Write the Sense of Smell”

That was a fun exercise. Thanks!

I went through my debut novel with the search function, and found 54 instances of using smell, odor, aroma, wafted, or scent. I have a specific step in my process which has me consider 1) the senses the character is using, and 2) the senses I hope to elicit in the reader for every scene. The only duplicates were pine-scented cleaner and the outdoor smell of real pine trees. Not bad.

I make an effort to consider all the senses, regular and ESP and kinesthetic, but only choose a couple at a time for a scene. A laundry list is appropriate very rarely.

Here's an example of a sweater left behind by Andrew O'Connell at Kary's house when he stayed there, one of two similar fisherman's Irish sweaters his mother knit for him. It has to go back with his friend and manager. The last sentence is in italics in the book as a direct thought.

Her fingers dared. She pulled the rough heavy sweater into her lap, tidied the folds, tucked the long sleeves neatly into the bundle. The faint aroma of lanolin thrust her backbrain into memories of nursing… Such a long time ago. She restrained herself from burying her face in the woolen bulk. She refused to name the other scent. It will have to go back. Pride's Children PURGATORY.

I picked that one because of the double use of smell.

It's interesting that you even use a sensory check as part of your writing process. 54 references is impressive. I'm wondering whether you search using the words you mentioned: smell, odor, aroma, wafted, or scent? That's a great tip to figure out how smell is represented in one's manuscript. Thanks, Alicia! Kris

Yes - I searched with all the words I thought might find me scent references, and was pleased to find so many.

I have a damaged brain (ME/CFS), and the only way I can write is to have a detailed written process - a specific set of prompts/questions that I've developed since I started to write. That way I can compartmentalize each and make sure it at least gets considered for a scene.

If curious, here's the link: https://liebjabberings.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/left-brain-right-brain-hemisphere-wars-and-writers-block/

I know scientists no longer consider the left/right dichotomy a physical one, but it still works for me as a metaphorical one, switching from a logical to an intuitive approach and back in a regular alternation when I get saturated on one or the other. It probably makes me slower than I might otherwise be, but it compensates for my deficiencies enough to write complex fiction.

I love your example, Alicia. It pulls me right into the scene and I truly feel for her, especially as a mom.

I hadn't thought about it before but a balance must be had between too much and too little sensory information in a scene. Thank you for bringing that point up!

Or possibly you're writing pure literary fiction? And the point IS the sensory information?

I don't - I'm too wedded to plot and characterization - but it is a viable option, and there are some beautiful examples.

I learned that one from Sol Stein: two to three sensory details seem to be about right, and one should be familiar and one fresh. Not a rule so much as a guideline, because sometimes the best effect is to pile on more, sometimes to select one perfect detail. Or you start to sound like a robot. That's one of the things I love about writing, reaching for that balance.

Thanks for this, Ellen. I use smells often in my writing--it seems to be the most underutilized sense by new writers, IMHO. Great links, too!

Hi Karen, I'm glad the links are useful!

My early writing had a serious lack of sensory information. Critique partners modeled better work, showing what I'd missed. Adding sensory details makes a big difference.

HI Ellen, I loved all the examples, especially the Anne Lamott one: Sometimes grace is a ribbon of mountain air that gets in through the cracks. Her contrast to kerosene and lacquer is powerful.

Thanks for the reminder to incorporate this sense into our writing. It can ramp up the intensity or deepen the solitude, all with a reference to smell.

Thanks, Kris!

There's nothing quite like sense of smell to entice us into a story.

I especially like Anne Lamott's quote.

When I left home for college my mom gave me strawberry-scented stationery so I could write her. To this day, the smell of strawberries makes me homesick.

Wow, Jeanne what a powerful connection!

Excellent advice. The sense of smell IS a powerful one. I had to go through my current ms following Alicia's example. I found 17 uses of 'aroma', 13 of 'smell' and 6 of scent, and a smattering of others.

My takeaway from this post: Tie the sense of smell to an emotion for more power. My current wip is set on a cattle ranch. The heroine is a city girl, so she's going to notice the smells. She also spends time with the ranch cook--more opportunities to work in the sense.

Ooh, Terry you'll have a lot of fun with this. I can tell already.

I grew up close to Chicago and never experienced the intense scent of cow patties from a dairy farm until middle school.

You'll have to let us know how your heroine deals.

Thanks for this one, Ellen! I love to use smells in my writing. You're right on the money about them being a powerful memory trigger that can suck a reader right into a scene. One of my favorites from my own work comes from my first book, Killing Karma. It describes James' first step into a thrift store.

A quick twenty-minute drive brought James to his first thrift shop experience. Walking through the door, the realization hit him; this was not going to be his typical shopping trip. The first thing to jump out was the smell. It wasn’t the crisp linen and perfume scent he encountered in the department stores he occasionally shopped in with his mother. It reeked of something a little more . . . well . . . old. The smell reminded him of the house where the aging neighbor lady used to care for him while his mother worked. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Great example, Eldred!

I really enjoyed reading your Karma series.

What powerful examples you used, Ellen. Wow. Has me looking through my manuscript for those hits. And I think I did okay. a total of 93 references to aromas, scents, smells, stench, and stink. Helps to have your characters explode a stink bomb. lol

A stink bomb. Wow. I'll bet there were some interesting reactions to that Lynette! I was concerned that I overdid the examples. LOL. I guess I did okay.

I've started reading through each scene and noting where I need more sensory input. The editing process seems never ending.

Yes. The reactions were the fun part.

You did more than okay with examples. And while I agree the editing process seems never ending, I strongly suspect you'll add the right amount of sensory input and find the end.

I think when you can describe the smells in a book and the reader is transported to the place or reacts to the smell, you've done your job.

My books are more apt to have smells of florals, food, and perfumes/colognes, etc...

[…] https://writersinthestormblog.com/2021/11/how-to-write-the-sense-of-smell/ […]

How to Describe Smell in Writing Vary your vocabulary. Instead of saying a character smelled something, describe the specific redolence they encounter. ... Link other senses. Scent is linked to our other senses, particularly taste. ... Think outside the box. Sometimes smells surprise us. ... Describe scents in detail.

Some common synonyms of stinking are fetid, fusty, malodorous, musty, noisome, putrid, and rank. While all these words mean "bad-smelling," stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

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How to Describe a Smell

Last Updated: March 4, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was reviewed by Gerald Posner . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 633,379 times.

We have plenty of words to describe other senses and experiences, but the sense of 'smell' seems to defy words. The human sense of smell is not heavily used compared to that of many animals. Still, it's a deep and rich sense, and it can enhance how you communicate (especially when you're crafting a story or describing a moment).

It can enhance how you experience your other senses (particularly taste, such as tasting complex flavors in wine and dark chocolate ), and even with determining when fruit is ripe or milk is spoiled. If you'd like to pin down a smell in words, here are some tips that can help you.

Do you want to capture the nature of the smell or the overall quality?
Do you want your reader or listener to recognize an unfamiliar smell based on your description?
Do you want to evoke a certain meaning or feeling in your reader?

Remove distractions. Don't smoke or wear fragrances or drink strongly scented beverages.
Take breaks. The sense of smell acclimates or becomes accustomed to a smell. Remove the smell or remove yourself from the smell for a while if you stop being able to smell it or smell it distinctly.
3 Notice any words, images, feelings , or memories that the smell brings to mind. If you have any sort of gut reaction, pay attention to it. Make notes if you can, even if they're disjointed.
4 Notice descriptions of smells when you see or hear them. This could be advertising ("lemony fresh", "fresh pine scent"), poems , or technical descriptions. Look especially hard at other sources that are similar to what you're trying to convey. [3] X Research source
Smell origins may take the form of a noun (the smell of leather) or an adjective (a leathery smell). The adjective may describe the effect where the noun describes a specific source.
Use imaginative adjectives. Saying that a vile smell was "like sucking puss out of a festered wound" does not actually describe the smell as such, but pulls on so many different thoughts and memories that the mind races to label it odious.

Be creative. What does spring smell like?

Use verbs for the smells themselves. Smells can waft, distract, hint, permeate, suggest, confuse, conjure images, command attention, or intrude upon the consciousness.
Use verbs to describe the source of the smell. Here are some actions that you might associate with smells: baking, frying, digging, sweating, burning, rotting.
Visualize what the smell does. Does it creep into your nose? Wrap around you? Follow you? Bombard your nostrils?
Sight. Can a smell be bright or dark? Can a smell be pink or green? Can it be clear or hazy? Can it be fast? Slow? Sluggish? Smooth?
Sound. Can a smell be dissonant? Harmonious? Loud or quiet?

Step 8 Borrow words associated with other senses.

Taste. Smell is closely associated with taste, so tastes are a good choice if they fit. Is a smell sweet or sour, salty or bitter? Is it chocolaty, fruity, or yeasty?
Is the smell startling or jarring? Soothing or comforting? Earthy or natural? Chemical or antiseptic?
Smell is often strongly associated with memories, but this is only useful if you're describing the smell to yourself (such as in a journal) since you can't know what somebody smelled in their memories.

Sample Descriptions of Smells

Community Q&A

Go the other way. Think of a feeling or idea that you want to evoke. What smells do you associate with that feeling or idea? Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Learn the vocabulary of smells relating to those smells that interest you, see how others describe those smells. If you are interested in oenology or certain foods, read up on the subjects. Associate the words with your firsthand observations of the smells themselves, if possible. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Practice describing smells, good and bad. See what you notice the next time you wander through the perfume section or the scented candles. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Some smells signal hazards. If you smell gas, chemicals, or something unknown and worrisome, avoid breathing it and report it to authorities as appropriate. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

↑ https://www.butte.edu/departments/cas/tipsheets/style_purpose_strategy/descriptive_essay.html
↑ https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/report-odour/describe-odour
↑ https://marymckernan.com/describing-smells/
↑ https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/descriptive-words-for-scents.html

About This Article

To describe a smell, take some time to sit with it and jot down any words, images, or emotions that come to mind when you’re smelling it. You can describe the quality of the smell with adjectives like “musty” or “putrid,” or you might choose adjectives that describe its source, like “skunky” or “floral.” Try to be specific and detailed, but keep your language simple so the description isn’t overblown. For more tips on describing a smell, like how to borrow words from other senses, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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200+ Ways to Incorporate Scent: A Word List for Writers

Why Should You Incorporate Scent in Your Prose or Poetry?

Our brains associate scent with memories. The whiff of an orchid might remind a woman of her senior prom, reawakening visceral recollections of music, embarrassment over a zipper that popped open at an inopportune moment, or the adrenaline rush of a passionate kiss behind the bleachers.

A pine freshener hanging from the rearview mirror of a taxi could flood a passenger with memories of a drive into the desert to ditch the corpse of an ex-lover. The memories might be so strong that he wets his pants or hears the non-existent screams of his dying victim.

Use scent to your advantage. Spritz aroma throughout your writing, as you might air freshener in a stale room, to stimulate readers’ olfactory centers.

Alternative Nouns for Scent

The word aroma conveys an impression of something pleasant, whereas smell could refer to unpleasant scents. Choose carefully. The difference between fragrance and stench can reverse the undertone of a passage.

Select a word, such as one of the following, that fits the situation.

A to W aroma, attar, aura, balm, bouquet, distillate, essence, fragrance, hint, perfume, pong, redolence, reek, smell, spoor, stench, stink, suggestion, tang, tinge, trace, trail, undertone, waft, whiff, whisper

What Produced the Smell?

Her hair smelled like bubblegum mixed with cotton candy.

A coppery stench oozed from the wound.

His bacon breath turned her stomach.

Why would bacon turn someone’s stomach? Story prompt?

The air was laced with smells that spoke of [insert an appropriate noun].

The following Pleasant and Unpleasant lists contain words you could include in direct comparisons. Transform nouns into adjectives by adding appropriate suffixes, or, if appropriate, insert as is. What seems pleasant to you could nauseate your protagonist , so you might want to switch some of the words.

Pleasant, A to F air-dried sheets, angels’ breath, anise, baby powder, baby’s breath, bacon, bananas, bubblegum, cedar, chamomile, chicken broth, chocolate, cinnamon, citrus, cocoa, coconut, coffee, cork, cotton candy, eucalyptus, flowers, a forest, fresh air, freshly baked bread, fruit

Pleasant, G to Y Grandma’s kitchen, grass, hand cream, hand sanitizer, honey, leather, lemon, licorice, lilacs, lime, maple sugar, a meadow, mint, ocean breezes, oranges, peaches, pine, pineapple, a pizzeria, popcorn, roses, scented soap, strawberries, a summer day, toast, vanilla, violets, wine, the woods, yeast

Unpleasant, A to H acetone, bad breath, a barnyard, bat guano, burning lint, a burning tire, camels’ breath, a cat box, a cemetery, a chicken coop, chlorine, cigars, cleaning fluid, copper, a corpse, decomp, a dog, dog breath, fish, fresh paint, funky fungus, a garbage dump, garlic, greasy rags, green bacon, hair dye, a hospital, hot tar

Unpleasant, K to V kitty-litter, a laundry hamper, a locker room, medicine, metal, mildew, mold, moldy dentures, nicotine, onions, pepper, plastic, rancid butter/cheese, ripe socks, rotten potatoes, a rotting whale carcass, scorched rubber, seaweed, a sewer, a skunk, smoke, stringent soap, sulfur, sweat, tobacco, toe jams, vinegar

Describe Scents With Well-Chosen Adjectives

If you’re writing a horror novel, you can create a feeling of suspense by foreshadowing. Contrast and compare. Maybe your monster has a delicate woodsy aroma that lures its victims deep into a musty lair where it dissolves the flesh from their bones with a caustic venom that reeks of corpses and singed hair.

Make a romance steamier by including adjectives such as sweaty, masculine, intoxicating, and spicy.

A to D acetic, acid, acrid, airy, ambrosial, antiseptic, aromatic, balmy, bitter, biting, bland, briny, burnt, caustic, clean, clear, comforting, cool, crisp, cutting, damp, dank, decaying, decomposing, delicate, dirty, distinctive

E to M earthy, elusive, exhilarating, faint, feminine, fetid, fishy, floral, flowery, forceful, foul, fragrant, fresh, fusty, gamey, gaseous, gentle, giddy, heady, heavy, intoxicating, invigorating, light, loamy, malodorous, masculine, mild, moist, musky, musty

N to R nauseating, new, odorous, overpowering, piquant, pleasant, polluted, potent, pungent, putrescent, putrid, rancid, rank, redolent, refreshing, repulsive, rich, rotten

S to W savory, sharp, sickly, smelly, sour, spicy, spoiled, squalid, stagnant, stale, sterile, stinking, strong, stuffy, subtle, sweaty, sweet, tainted, tangy, tantalizing, tempting, thrilling, tart, unclean, understated, uninteresting, wholesome

A Few Objects and Places That Help Incorporate Scent in Writing

B to W breath, clothing, elevators, feet, hands, hair, money, old books, pets, seating places, vehicles, weather, food, public transit, plants, wooden objects

Wax Creative

He stank like a conservative, she like a liberal.

He reeked of desperation.

The storm swept in with a roiling stench of fresh blood and burning bodies.

Agonizing odors smothered the battlefield, emanating unfulfilled dreams and fresh blood.

Something Might Have No Smell

F to U flat, fragrance-free, inodorous, neutral, odor-free, odorless, scentless, unscented

Lack of Scent Can Create Suspense

The tracker sniffed the footprints. Why could he detect nothing but moss and pine and fear? Only a moon-gloxx could leave such spoor.

Tabitha’s translucent form shifted and hovered above the bed, bereft of substance and scent.

Are You Interested in More Word Lists and Writing Tips?

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8 thoughts on “ 200+ Ways to Incorporate Scent: A Word List for Writers ”

These lists are so helpful, thank you Granny!

Thanks, Kate!

Next week: Over 300 Onomatopoeic Sound-Words.

I love these lists that you compile. Thanks!

Thank-you David. I love doing them. Do you have any words you’d like me to tackle?

I’d have to go through everything you’ve posted; chances are good that whatever I need is already here.

Have you ever compiled these in an ebook? I’d love to have them on my nook.

You must have read my mind. Not yet, but eventually that’s where they’ll go. The book will have even more words. In the meantime, all the lists are posted at:

http://kathysteinemann.com/Musings/category/word-lists/

I just remembered that my first editing passes often include removing someone sighing. Everyone’s always sighing. ::sigh:: I’d love a list that tackles this four letter word.

I’ve added it to my to-do list. Thanks for the idea!

Writing sense of smell – sensory writing 2

Sensory writing is a great way to bring your readers close, whatever your writing form – fiction, poetry, scripts or copywriting. This article suggests how writing sense of smell can help create a more vivid sense of immersion in your fictional world.

Other senses such as touch and hearing are powerful in their own ways, but the sense of smell is special. It’s thought to be the oldest mammalian sense, and hits deep into our brains.

So using smell in writing is a powerful way to stir your reader’s senses, and bring them closer.

Smell is also closely linked to memory, the sense of taste, and our enjoyment of food.

And it’s intimately connected to our breathing. Some smells can hit us so strongly that they make us choke and recoil!

Here are some ways to develop your use of smells in writing.

Smells and danger

When you’re writing sense of smell, look out for its dramatic potential. Can you use it to drive dramatic action ? Will it perhaps trigger a fight-or-flight reaction in one of your characters? Or will it lure them into seduction by the wrong person, or cause them to lose their way (or their mind!) or otherwise get into danger?

Unusual smells often have an association with danger. That’s because our our brains wiring makes us super-alert to unfamiliar sensory information. That includes smells.

So if you’re writing a thriller, fantasy, scifi or any world that’s new or unsettling to your characters, add smell to your writing repertoire.

Think of pungent smoke, the sickly-sweet smell of rotting flesh, strong chemicals that hit our throats and make our eyes water.

Note: we quickly get used to smells after some exposure. Even the most terrible smells can lose their potency after a while. And beautiful perfumes stop being noticeable after a few minutes of habituation.

So context is important. Maybe you can link the smell to a countdown situation or ticking time bomb ?

Smells that signal danger are often linked to novelty or unfamiliarity. How can you use this in your fiction scene?

Sensory writing practice :

Refresh your nose-palette, to make familiar smells unfamiliar. To do this, go into a different smell environment – outdoors in the fresh air, for example – and then return indoors. What do you notice differently? Free-write and try to capture the smells and scents you discover.

Use your nose and rediscover the familiar smells of your surroundings.

What might strike someone coming into your home or work for the first time?

Consider how familiarity and unfamiliarity with certain smells might help to define your characters. Write a paragraph about your characters’ favourite smells, and smells they dislike.

Smells and memory

Another approach to writing sense of smell is to consider the power of memory.

Smells can cause instant flashbacks, catapulting you back to a long-forgotten memory – whether a delightful one, or an awful one.

What’s more, smells that are happy or neutral for one person can be traumatic for another, if they trigger an association with unhappy memories. So they might become a reason for dramatic action – say, one character wanting to avoid a smell, or impose a smell on another.

For example, I can’t stand the smell of lilies because of a hospital stay when the ward was full of vases of flowers. Their pungent stench was all the worse because of the lack of fresh air, and hospital chemicals. So if I were ever in a room full of lilies, I’d want to open a window, fan the air or cart them away down the far end of the corridor!

But I love the smell of hot tar, which I associate with a tarred garden shed I used to play in as a child. So I might want to stop and breathe on a tarred road, fixate on roadworks, or love hot city days that others want to avoid!

However, someone with a traumatic experience in a tarry shed might feel very different.

Writing sense of smell effectively is a chance to tap into these deep-seated emotions. How can you exploit your characters’ individual reactions to smells?

Brainstorm smells from your past, and free-write on what they are and how they make you feel. Think about childhood, school, adolescence, relatives’ homes and places you’ve visited.

What emotions are associated with those smells? Write a paragraph about the smell and try to evoke the emotion without calling it by name.

Do any of them evoke a particular place, time or era? Consider how you might turn one of these triggers into a story.

Think like a perfumier or whisky taster

Perfumiers and wine, cheese, food and coffee tasters have a whole vocabulary of flavours related to their product areas. They’re usually called “notes”, and have different classifications.

The five main perfume families are floral, fresh (citrusy), oriental (warming), woody (amber, cedar, sandalwood) and fougère (meaning “fern” – lavender, bergamot).

Research olfactory words from one of these areas and gather inspiration for your work in progress. Use them to deepen the description or a character’s perceptions.

Consider the sound as well as the meaning of the words, and notice how they feel when you read them to yourself. Try “citrus”, “musk”, “caramel”. Try olfactory words in a scene involving food.

Read more articles on sensory writing: Sensory writing – sounds and music Sensory writing – the sense of smell Sensory writing – touch and texture

Smells and breathing

Smells aren’t just about notes and fragrances. Since we also breathe through our noses, smells are closely linked to feelings of comfort and discomfort. A violently pungent smell can make us hold our breath or stop breathing. It can even make us reel.

Someone once offered me smelling salts to try. I had no idea what they smelled like, but I knew that people wafted them under the noses of Victorian ladies, to help them recover from fainting. I intrepidly had a sniff, and nearly leapt in the air!

Smelling salts are ammonium carbonate – a kind of ammonia that hits the back of your throat and sears a hole in your airways. I often wonder what sort of expletives came from those Victorian women! They certainly wouldn’t come round gently.

Consider the intensity of specific smells, and their physical impact on the body and breathing.

Do they clog or dull someone’s airways? Do they heighten the senses, and make the person super-sensitive? Maybe they affect the eyes, the mouth, the throat? Or cause nausea or gagging?

If they’re attractive smells, do they entice your character, lure or draw them in? Try incorporating the physical nature of smells into a story.

Smells and viewpoint – near and far

Smells in description can help to emphasise viewpoint. Salt smells at the seaside that reach deep into the lungs convey a different viewpoint to a fleeting sense of strange perfume on your lover’s collar.

Smells can be deeply intimate and tiny, or all-embracing in the air around us. They can also appear and disappear on the wind – for example, the scent of fox or dead sheep as you’re walking in the countryside.

Think about smell and its scale in your work in progress. What are the surroundings like? Is the smell close and pinpoint focused, or all-enveloping? Is it contained in a space, or free to shift and evaporate? Does it evoke the natural or industrial world? Is it alien and new to its environment, or part of it?

Try incorporating a sense of smell into your setting, to create a more immersive experience for your readers.

Phantom and imaginative smells

Smells hit straight into the brain, and a confused brain can even manufacture smells. I used to wake up in the night plagued by nauseating smells of petrol fumes which my partner couldn’t detect at all. After much worrying and looking around for the source, I spotted a possible link to an increase in coffee drinking. I cut the coffee (terrible withdrawal headaches!) and the petrol smells miraculously disappeared.

This made me wonder about other phantom smells, and differences in perception. This petrol smell was so real, but it was all in my head.

What smells are noticed by some people and not others, and why? By animals?

What would it mean if you could smell something extraordinarily real that constricted your breathing, yet no one else could? Conversely, what would it mean to have no sense of smell?

Consider the imaginative ways that smells exist in our lives, and the moods and social situations they create. Try writing a story triggered by an unpleasant smell, or a pleasant one. Use techniques of exaggeration, transformation, inversion, scale and absence to explore your idea imaginatively.

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30 of the Best Words to Describe Smell in Your Writing

By: Author Hiuyan Lam

Posted on Last updated: October 20, 2023

Categories Vocabulary Boosters

30 of the Best Words to Describe Smell in Your Writing

As a writer, you’re expected to have a wider vocabulary than most to paint vivid pictures in the minds of your readers; however, it can be more difficult to find accurate words to describe smell than sight, touch, sound, or taste.

You may be tempted to use the following words to describe smell- delicious/good, or bad/awful- but surely you can paint a better picture than that. We’ve compiled a list of words to describe various smells/odors to help improve your writing.

Here are 30 of the best words to describe smell:

6 words to describe delicious food

When you write about delicious food, your choice of words should make mouths water! Here are 6 words to describe smell in this context:

6 words to describe smell of awful food

Stinky foods can ruin your appetite and can even upset your stomach. Let your readers know how bad it is with these 6 words to describe smell of awful food:

barbeque on grill with sauce plate smoke

About the smell of a person’s perfume

People wear perfume to establish a signature scent and to help them smell good all day long. Here are 6 words to describe smell of one’s perfume.

woman wearing formal smelling perfume inside the mall

25+ of the Best Words to Describe Taste of Food

Words for a person’s bad smell

The world would be a much better place if everyone practiced good hygiene, but unfortunately, this is not so. Here are 6 words to describe smell of these people:

person slicing a fish for sushi on top of wooden chopping board

25 Perfect Words to Help Describe Your Pain and Suffering

staff wearing a black uniform pinching her nose

6 words to describe an actual perfume

If the perfume is not being worn by someone, there are still words you can use to describe their scents. Here are 6 words to describe smell of perfume:

coco chanel perfume lighted candles on the side hairpin earrings

When writing, you don’t have to use complicated words to describe smell. The whole point is making the reader relate to what you’ve written to create an effective scene.

Smell of Nature: Descriptions that Appeal to the Senses (2024)

Are you looking for descriptions for the smell of nature? You’ve come to the right place! From mildewed to petrichor, we have all the words you need to describe the beautiful natural world that surrounds us!

Jump to Section

Smell as a Potent Descriptor in Writing

Examples of natural smell descriptions in writing, fresh and light, deep and pleasant, richly unpleasant.

Related posts: Vivid Description in Creative Writing Examples

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase using these links.

The sense of smell is known as the strongest sense for memory inducer. When your writing contains descriptions of various smells, you have the potential to trigger your reader’s most nostalgic memories; hence, your writing will stay with them longer !

Inject your writing with the smell of nature whenever appropriate, be it when your character is out exploring nature, or to draw comparison / parallel between their current situation and the natural world around them.

Let’s look at two examples to illustrate this point.

1. This first example lets us experience the world as the character in the story experiences it. The rich description transports us to Louisiana in September, how heady and overwhelming it is, just as the author describes it.

Louisiana in September was like an obscene phone call from nature. The air–moist, sultry, secretive, and far from fresh–felt as if it were being exhaled into one’s face. Sometimes it even sounded like heavy breathing. Honeysuckle, swamp flowers, magnolia, and the mystery smell of the river scented the atmosphere, amplifying the intrusion of organic sleaze. It was aphrodisiac and repressive, soft and violent at the same time. – Tim Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume (1990)

2. This second example draws a parallel between what the character is feeling and the world around them. Autumn smelled acrid to the character in this story, and it mimicked the fear he felt inside.

The acrid scents of autumn, reminiscent of slinking beasts, make me fear. – D.H. Lawrence, The Complete Poems (1994)

Three Broad Categories of Natural Smell

Do you know that human’s olfactory sense can detect 1 trillion odors ? It’s no surprise that we frequently struggle to describe the smell of nature, with its plethora of colorful scents. But, a good writer must try, right?

Let’s classify natural smells into three categories . Here they are, with some alternative words to describe them.

When I think of nature, my mind automatically goes to an open air, green area with lots of sunshine, free of manmade buildings. Meadows, forests and mountains are some examples. The smells associated with such places are fresh and light.

Another way to say this would be:

– Airy : a flighty kind of smell that just wants to lift you up to new heights. – Alpine : reminiscence of high mountains. – Clean : that odorless smell that fills up the lung when you’re surrounded by nature. – Crisp : a sense of cleanness that you could almost bite into, like biting into a particularly refreshing chunk of apple. – Fresh : the kind of invigorating smell that overtakes you as if you’re standing beside a waterfall. – Fruity: the sweet, refreshingly light smell of fruits. – Minty : a smell that almost pierces your nose and fills you up with cool air. – Ozonic : fresh and clean air, especially the one breathed at the seaside. (Ozone in informal British refers to fresh air.) – Piney : a smell that calls back to the smell of pine trees in the forest, it’s peppery with a dash of minty and at the same time is said to be a good antidepressant. – Sun-baked: a clean kind of smell that is dry and a bit musky.

The smell of rain as it starts to hit dry earth, or the sea breeze at the hull of a ship. They stay with you for a long time and yet do not repulse you. Oceans and jungles are places that tend to carry these deep, pleasant smells.

Here are some words that can describe that deep yet pleasant scents of nature:

– Ambrosial : succulently fragrant or sweet. – Earthy : the smell of freshly dug soil. – Damp moss : the forest aroma after being steeped in the rain all day long. – Floral : richly sweet, flowery scents. – Myrrhic : a pleasant myrrh fragrance. (Myrrh is a sap-like substance or resin from the bark of certain trees. Furthermore, myrrh itself is described as warm, woody and aromatic with a hint of pungency.) – Musky : an animalistic scent that is earthy and woodsy, it’s a scent that’s close to human skin but more intense and heady. – Oceanic : the salty, breezy scent of the sea. – Petrichor : the light smell of rainwater as it makes contact with dry earth. – Peppery : a deep, aromatic smell that is a little pungent and musty, reminiscence of pepper. – Resiny : resin-like smell – Smokey : a deep woodsy scent with a hint of burnt matter. – Spicy : a strong, aromatic sweet scent that is reminiscent of hot spices. – Tang : a refreshingly sharp aroma. – Tropical : a sweet and strong scent that’s coming from a combination of tropical herbs, spices and fruits. – Woodsy : the collective smell coming from the various growth you might find in a forest. – Zesty : a smell akin to spicy.

BEFORE WE CONTINUE…

It could be time to make an investment in a quality dictionary if you need extra assistance to reference that particular term that keeps eluding you. Check out a few options below:

1. This Thesaurus broadens your ability to describe the world around you through seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling.

PLEASE CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION!

2. The book below is a fascinating, weird, and awe-inspiring investigation of scent . Read what Jack Hitt (author of Bunch of Amateurs) said about this book: “The nose on your face is the Buckingham Palace Guard of your body, the maitre d’ of all taste, as well as the seducer of your imagination, and memory—and Jude Stewart has charmed them all into a wicked, poetic and illuminating tour of their mysterious domains.”

NOW, to continue down our list…

Lastly, nature can smell unpleasant, too. Oceans, swamps, natural springs, and many other natural places sometimes carry pungent aroma be it from decomposing organic matters or other natural, earthy elements. Here are some words to describe them:

– Acrid : sharp and harsh smell, – Cadaverine : a foul-smelling diamine produced by protein hydrolysis during putrefaction of dead organic matters. – Effluvium : a foul-smelling gas or vapor. – Fetid : foul-smelling or stinking. – Fishy : a smell reminiscent of fish. – Fusty : stale-smelling or stuffy. – Gamey : the strong smell of game meat. – Hircine : an odor reminiscent of goat. – Marshy : distinctive and pungent “rotten egg” smell. – Mephitis : a strong smell, especially emitted from the earth. – Mildewed : that scent when an organic matter is steeped in wetness for too long that it has gone stale and started decomposing. – Musty : the deep scent of decaying matters and rotting woods. – Oceanic : a salty, breezy seaside smell with hints of fishy and rotten smell. – Stale: the smell of old, forgotten, and stagnant matter. – Stenchy: having a stench, foul odor. – Putrid : the stench emitted by decomposing organic matter. – Rancid: rank in smell. – Reek: strong, unpleasant smell. – Sulphury : sharp, pungent smell.

As a closing, when I feel stumped in describing natural smells, what I love to do is to browse through catalogs of perfume descriptions and let the words inspire me .

I hope the list of smell descriptions of nature listed above is useful for you. For a similar post, head to Vivid Description in Creative Writing Examples

Or if you’re looking for writing prompts, check out Surreal Writing Prompts , Unique Zombie Ideas , or browse our Story Ideas & Writing Prompts category for more ideas.

Until next time!

Vivid Description in Creative Writing Examples (2024)

120+ Best Fanfic Title Ideas (2024)

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The Most Creative Words to Describe Smell

Table of Contents

When depicting smell, descriptive language can help the reader have a much more vivid experience. This article explores the best ways to depict smells and has compiled a list of words associated with scents.

The nose can recognize more than one trillion different scents. The ability to smell is extremely strong. We use smells to describe things we can’t see because they can arouse memories and emotions.

What happens, though, when we want to describe a smell to someone? How do we accurately describe the scent of a wet dog?

That’s why we decided to dedicate today’s post to the most creative words to describe smell that you can use. If this sounds interesting, keep on reading until the end!

Why Is Smell Important in Story Telling?

clear drinking glass filled with coffee on brown wooden surface

It’s challenging to depict smells. However, if you know the right words to use, it doesn’t have to be.

A smell is produced when molecules come into contact with the receptors in our noses.

Anything can produce these molecules, including foods, beverages, flowers, plants, animals, and even people. When molecules enter our nose, they interact with receptors there. This causes neurons to send a signal to our brain.

This is how smell appears to us.

The brain’s limbic system, which manages our emotions and memory, directly connects with our sense of smell. Because of this, certain smells have the power to transport us to a past moment or location instantly. Although people frequently disregard it, the sense of smell is one of the most effective ways to trigger emotions and memories.

Although you may be tempted to say, “It smells like a rose,” that isn’t very helpful to someone unfamiliar with rose smells. Additionally, there are numerous varieties of rose scents, including musky, floral, sweet, and others.

Try to determine which category a smell belongs to when encountering one you aren’t quite sure about. Explaining it to others will give you a place to start.

After extensive research, scientists have determined ten categories. These are:

fragrant,
woody/resinous,
fruity (non-citrus),
chemical,
minty/peppermint,
popcorn,
pungent,

The classification of a scent is merely the beginning. There are numerous other ways to capture your reader’s imagination.

Defining Smell in Literature

Make an effort to consider all of a smell’s characteristics when describing it . It reminds you of what, precisely? What emotions does it stir up?

If you can be more specific, it will be easier for readers to see what you are trying to say. The best way to describe a smell is not always clear-cut.

It all comes down to using sensory language to paint a clear picture in the reader’s head.

Smells have the power to arouse potent memories and emotions. We frequently smell things before we see them. A bouquet of flowers is more than nice smells. They also represent love and passion. Because they paint a clear picture in our minds, adjectives are used to characterize smells.

A smell’s characteristics can be divided into five primary flavors: sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and umami. Even though you can’t smell them, you can feel what they taste like.

A scent’s intensity can also describe it—is it light and airy or strong and earthy?

Making your description more evocative can be accomplished by identifying the feelings and emotions that a particular scent evokes.

Best Words to Describe Smell

Below you may find some of the most popular words that we use to relay smells in writing . If you think we missed some smells, let us know!

Final Words

The smell is only one of the five senses, but it is arguably one of the most difficult to describe. Smelling is such an inane thing to do, and in our daily lives, we are subjected to many smells. Be it fresh or rotten. However, it’s difficult to relate to a third party.

Smelling something is very important for tasting it as well, as many chefs understand food is ready just by its smell. So, in a sense, it’s one and a half senses, but we digress.

The Most Creative Words to Describe Smell

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

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Victor Mukhin

Victor Mukhin, Speaker at Chemical Engineering Conferences

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents. Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.

Title : Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental problems

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IMAGES

Words to Describe Smells: Adjectives for Smell
9 Ways to Describe Scents in your Book
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Descriptive Words for Scents: List of Smell Adjectives
Words to Describe Smells: Adjectives for Smell
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COMMENTS

How to Describe the Sense of Smell in Your Writing
Here are some tips for describing smell in your writing: Rely on memory. One of the best ways to describe smells in a nuanced and relatable way is to recall specific scents from memory. Before you describe a smell in a piece of writing, take a moment to brainstorm and freewrite descriptors of scents from your memory and choose from what you ...
Describing Smells in Writing: Mastering the Art of Sensory Language
The art of describing smells in writing can elevate your work to an immersive experience for readers. The human sense of smell is closely linked to memory, making it a powerful tool for writers to evoke emotions and transport readers into the world they've created. Capturing the essence of a scent in words can be challenging, but with a ...
75 Words That Describe Smells
fusty - smells old, dusty, or damp. high - an old-fashioned word that describes a strong flavour and smell. malodorous - scented, aromatic, redolent, fragrant, stinking. musty - unpleasant, stale, and not fresh. nasty - unpleasant smell. nauseating - a smell that causes disgust, loathing, or revulsion.
How to Describe a Smell in Writing: Tips and Examples
Qualities of a smell can be broken down into the five cardinal tastes: sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and umami. You can't exactly smell these, but you can experience the sensation of these tastes. This is how you might describe these smells when writing: Sweet: sugary, saccharine, sickly. Sour: balsamic, tart, acidic.
How to Describe a Smell in Writing: 3 Nose-Tickling Examples
Example 2: The smell of petrichor. Petrichor is the smell of rain after a long period of dry weather. Stewart starts her description like this: Petrichor, the smell of parched earth after rain, is immersive, roomy enough to move around in. Its bright mineral tang is edged with vegetal green. There's a hint of sourness, haloed by fresh water ...
9 Ways to Describe Scents in your Book
3. Create Disgust. One of the best things you can do in your writing is create a reaction in your reader. If they react in any way, it means your book is affecting them. It means they aren't bored. One way to get a strong reaction from your reader is to make them feel disgusted.
How to Write the Sense of Smell
The following quotes are from writers who use the sense of smell effectively. "The smell of a grow room is the scent of transpiration, of fecund exertion. It's the trapped sweat of a high school locker room, the funk of a hockey jersey steaming on a radiator.". Bruce Barcott, Weed the People.
Sensory Imagery in Creative Writing: Types, Examples, and Writing Tips
Sensory Imagery in Creative Writing: Types, Examples, and Writing Tips. Sensory imagery is a literary device writers employ to engage a reader's mind on multiple levels. Sensory imagery explores the five human senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell.
How to Concoct Powerful Descriptions with Smell
There's the smell of sea-spray, cow manure, urine, fresh-cut grass, corn tassels at harvest time. Cinnamon to curry. Blood to berries. Ashes and woodsmoke to iron and dust. A trillion smells are ...
How to Describe a Smell (with Sample Descriptions)
5. Use adjectives. Adjectives can describe the general, overall quality of the smell. Wispy, rancid, airy, musty, stale, fresh, putrid, faint, light, floral, and acrid are all adjectives that could pertain to smell. [4] Smell origins may take the form of a noun (the smell of leather) or an adjective (a leathery smell).
200+ Ways to Incorporate Scent: A Word List for Writers
Use scent to your advantage. Spritz aroma throughout your writing, as you might air freshener in a stale room, to stimulate readers' olfactory centers. Alternative Nouns for Scent. The word aroma conveys an impression of something pleasant, whereas smell could refer to unpleasant scents. Choose carefully.
Writing sense of smell
Sensory writing practice: Research olfactory words from one of these areas and gather inspiration for your work in progress. Use them to deepen the description or a character's perceptions. Consider the sound as well as the meaning of the words, and notice how they feel when you read them to yourself. Try "citrus", "musk", "caramel".
Writing Tips: How to Describe Setting Using Smell
Photo by Sébastien Jermer on Unsplash. Once the giggles subsided, I got some serious answers. "Saltwater." "Salt." "It smells tangy." "Salty.". Okay, so they are only Year 7s, but even as adults we have a tendency to fall back on the same descriptions. But writing about "the salty tang of the air" is pretty generic, and ...
Describing Smells
Ephesians 5:2. Describing scents in a scene adds depth to writing by enabling the reader to relate. Citrusy - characteristic of citrus fruit in scent. coppery - smelling of copper. earthy - smelling like earth. fishy - smelling like fish. floral - smelling of flowers. flowery - a flowery smell reminds you of flowers. fruity ...
30 of the Best Words to Describe Smell in Your Writing
01 Buttered. Buttered is a good word to use, because foods such as popcorn, shrimp, and chicken drenched in butter tend to have that unmistakable buttery smell. It is good to use as butter is a very common ingredient and its odor is known by everyone so it'll be easy to portray this smell. E.g.
Smell of Nature: Descriptions that Appeal to the Senses (2024)
Here are some words that can describe that deep yet pleasant scents of nature: - Ambrosial: succulently fragrant or sweet. - Earthy: the smell of freshly dug soil. - Damp moss: the forest aroma after being steeped in the rain all day long. - Floral: richly sweet, flowery scents. - Myrrhic: a pleasant myrrh fragrance.
Descriptive Words for Scents: List of Smell Adjectives
Ensure your reader can vividly imagine the scents you're describing with these adjectives for smell. ... As you continue to create interesting scenes within your writing, utilize this list of descriptive words to help engage readers in your stories. Get ready to bring entire universes to life with your words.
The Most Creative Words to Describe Smell
A smell is produced when molecules come into contact with the receptors in our noses. Anything can produce these molecules, including foods, beverages, flowers, plants, animals, and even people. When molecules enter our nose, they interact with receptors there. This causes neurons to send a signal to our brain. This is how smell appears to us.
Scent in literature: The Best Smelly Writing
He breathes in. Already, the sweet smell is working on his nerves." 4. Rene Denfeld, The Enchanted "She has come to believe the homes of sad or hateful people smell different. When people have sadness or hate inside them, it comes out in a miasma. Dr. Hammond's house smells like a form of slow poison has been hanging in the air for years.
methods of teaching creative arts in primary school
Technical Support; Find My Rep; You are here. Teaching the Arts in the Primary Curriculum. Susan Ogier - University of Roehampton, UK; Suzy Tutchell - University of Reading, Readi
40 Facts About Elektrostal
40 Facts About Elektrostal. Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to ...
Victor Mukhin
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