Of these occasional synonyms, aroma, fragrance, perfume, and scent have pejorated the least, and even they are not wholly free of occasional taint. Scent and perfume, for example, although they frequently suggest flowers and sweetness, have also been applied to the emanations of skunks and barnyards. And one can easily see how fragrance and aroma can degrade under observations such as Someone had been far too liberal in applying a cloying, cheap fragrance and The aroma of burned toast took me by the throat when I entered the room. Smell and odor (odour is the British spelling; see SPELLING [1]) are nominally unspecific, but you rarely use them without specifying the sort of smell or odor you have in mind; if you don’t, we’ll assume it’s an unpleasant one—literally or figuratively—almost every time. Stink and stench have always been bad smells.
