Aromatic
adj.joyful, calmwarm
What it means
Having a strong, distinctive, and usually pleasant smell.
Reach for it when praising a noticeable scent when its character matters
Aromatic herbs brightened the simple tomato soup.
Choose between these
6- playful
spicy
warm pungent spices dominate the aroma
not when Spicy narrows the scent and can imply heat on the palate.
- everyday
an appetizing food smell suggests salt or spice
not when Savory concerns taste and food, not flowers or timber.
- everyday
scented
something has a noticeable or added smell
not when Scented may imply artificial fragrance and says nothing about quality.
- warm
a clearly pleasant smell is the whole compliment
not when Fragrant promises pleasure, while aromatic can describe a strong neutral scent.
- formal
perfumed
a deliberate floral or cosmetic fragrance is present
not when Perfumed is too ornate for herbs, roasted food, or natural wood.
- literary
redolent
the scent strongly evokes a place or substance
not when Redolent is conspicuous and also introduces a figurative association.
Said against
3- odorless
- stale
- malodorous
It naturally appears in
3- aromatic herbs
Aromatic herbs grew beside the kitchen door.
- aromatic spices
The cook warmed the aromatic spices before grinding them.
- highly aromatic
The small white flowers are highly aromatic after dusk.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English adjective sense: having a pleasant or distinctive smell opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.