scent
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A substance created to provide a pleasant smell.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sehntIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsɛnt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
chiefly uncountable
A substance (usually liquid) created to provide a pleasant smell.
A distinctive odor that is pleasant
The sense of smell.
A distinctive smell.
A smell left by an animal that may be used for tracing.
figuratively
Any trail or trace that can be followed to find something or someone, such as the paper left behind in a paperchase.
verb
transitive
To impart an odour to, to cause to have a particular smell.
To hunt animals by means of the sense of smell.
transitivefigurative
To have a suspicion of; to detect the possibility of (something).
Catch the scent of; get wind of
transitive
To detect the scent of; to discern by the sense of smell.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A substance (usually liquid) created to provide a pleasant smell.
Used this way, scent is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use scent
- “The fresh scent of pine needles filled the entire room.”
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: substance (usually liquid) created to provide a pleasant smell
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.