Aroma Is Always a Good Smell
An aroma is a pleasant smell. English has a whole set of smell words graded by how good or bad the smell is, and aroma sits at the pleasant end.
An aroma is a pleasant, usually distinctive smell. English grades its smell words carefully: *fragrance* and *aroma* are good, *odour* is neutral leaning bad, *smell* is neutral, and *stench*, *reek* and *stink* are unmistakably bad. Nobody says an aroma of drains. The Greek original simply meant a spice or sweet herb.
- A pleasant smell. *The aroma of coffee.*
- Aromatic — having a strong pleasant smell. *Aromatic herbs.*
- Aromatherapy — the use of scented oils. *An aromatherapy massage.*
- In chemistry — a class of ring compounds. *An aromatic compound.*
- Fragrance — the closest synonym. *A light fragrance.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | aroma | A rich aroma. |
| Plural | aromas | Kitchen aromas. |
| Adjective | aromatic | Aromatic spices. |
| Greek | aroma | A spice. |
| Related | aromatherapy | Aromatherapy oils. |
- The aroma of baking filled the house.Pleasant.
- Aromatic compounds contain a benzene ring.Chemistry.
- There was an odour of damp.Odour, not aroma.
English smell words, best to worst
- Fragrance, perfume, aroma — pleasant
- Scent — neutral to pleasant, and used for tracking
- Smell — neutral, though often negative in context
- Odour — neutral in technical use, negative in ordinary speech
- Reek, stench, stink — strongly unpleasant
Greek *aroma*, a spice or sweet herb, through Latin. English used it for spices from the 1200s and for pleasant smells generally from the 1800s.
Can an aroma be unpleasant?
Not in normal use. English reserves aroma for smells the speaker finds good; odour or stench does the other job.
Why are some chemicals called aromatic?
Because the first compounds in the class were identified in fragrant substances. The name now describes their ring structure, not their smell.