mephitic

[muh-FIT-ik]

Popcast Phonetic: “muh-FIT-ick” — say it like someone sniffing burnt popcorn and regretting every life choice.
Phonetic (Standard) IPA: (Place non-standard beer reference here)

ADJECTIVE

foul-smelling, noxious, or downright offensive to the senses; the word you reach for when describing that mysterious gym locker smell or your least favorite character’s personality.

EXPLANATION

Mephitic describes a smell so bad it feels personally aggressive — like a villain in a teen horror movie, but with odorous excuses envision Freddy Krueger with smelling salts instead of blades for fingers. It’s the scent that could clear a room faster than someone who is lactose intolerant that just finished a jug of milk and is now experiencing stomach problems, and shouting spoilers during movie night, use this especially when “bad” just doesn’t cut it. Whether applied to toxic fumes, funky swamp air, sitting behind Shrek after taco Tuesdays and that one leftover slice of pizza you forgot in the fridge, this word captures stink with style.

ORIGIN

Late 1500s; from Latin mephitic-us meaning “foul-smelling,” used historically to describe poisonous vapors and places that hooded wizards definitely would not visit without backup. Also derivative of Mephisto because this is something you can imaging see smelling in the depths of hell .

EXAMPLE:

When someone tried to heat up last week’s leftover fish and seafood plate, the kitchen filled with such a mephitic cloud that even the houseplants filed a noise complaint.

HOW TO USE

Use mephitic when the smell is not just bad, but aggressively dramatic — like the odor from a cursed gym bag tucked beneath your bed since 2019, or that moment someone microwaves fish and insists it’s “fine, trust me” while everyone else grabs popcorn and runs.