stinkweed: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowInformal, often humorous or pejorative
Quick answer
What does “stinkweed” mean?
A common name for various plants noted for their strong, unpleasant odour, often considered weeds.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A common name for various plants noted for their strong, unpleasant odour, often considered weeds.
Informally used to refer to something considered unpleasant, worthless, or smelly, whether literal or metaphorical.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
More widely recognised in North American botany/regional usage (e.g., for Datura or other foul-smelling weeds). In the UK, it is understood but not a standard botanical term; similar plants might be called 'stinking mayweed' or 'stinkwort'.
Connotations
Strongly negative in both dialects, associated with nuisance, foul smell, and low value.
Frequency
Higher frequency in North American English, particularly in rural or gardening contexts. Rare in formal UK English.
Grammar
How to Use “stinkweed” in a Sentence
[The garden/vacant lot] is overrun with stinkweed.They [cleared/dug up] the stinkweed.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “stinkweed” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The allotment began to stinkweed after the damp summer.
American English
- The back forty is completely stinkweeded this year.
adjective
British English
- He had a stinkweed sort of attitude about the whole affair.
American English
- We're dealing with a real stinkweed situation in the compost pile.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually unused except in metaphorical humour (e.g., 'That deal turned out to be financial stinkweed.').
Academic
Used informally in botany or ecology to describe specific weed species; not a formal taxonomic term.
Everyday
Used to complain about a smelly or troublesome weed in a garden/yard.
Technical
A colloquial common name for plants like Datura stramonium (jimsonweed) or other species in genera like Thlaspi or Cleome.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “stinkweed”
- Confusing 'stinkweed' with a specific botanical name (it's a general common name).
- Using it in formal writing without explanation.
- Spelling as two words ('stink weed').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a closed compound noun: one word.
Yes, but it's a common name applied to several foul-smelling weedy plants (e.g., Jimsonweed, Pennycress), not a single scientific species.
It is informal and pejorative. In serious botanical discussion, the specific Latin name is preferred.
You can use it to describe anything you find worthless, annoying, or morally 'smelly,' e.g., 'That proposal is legal stinkweed.'
A common name for various plants noted for their strong, unpleasant odour, often considered weeds.
Stinkweed is usually informal, often humorous or pejorative in register.
Stinkweed: in British English it is pronounced /ˈstɪŋkwiːd/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈstɪŋkwiːd/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms; the word itself is metaphorical.]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'STINK' + 'WEED' = a weed that stinks. Picture a cartoon weed holding its own nose.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOMETHING WORTHLESS/UNPLEASANT IS A FOUL-SMELLING WEED.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'stinkweed' LEAST likely to be used?