aroma

aroma — noun

1. a noticeable smell that is nice to breathe in, especially one rising from cookin

1.nounB2
Definition

a noticeable smell that is nice to breathe in, especially one rising from cooking food, fresh coffee, herbs, or wine.

Example

The warm aroma of fresh bread filled Omar's small kitchen on Sunday morning.

the aroma of + noun (food source)

Beatriz paused at the cafe door, breathing in the rich aroma of roasted coffee beans.

rich/strong aroma collocation

Common collocations
  • rich aroma
  • delicate aroma
  • mouth-watering aroma
  • fill the air with aroma
  • release an aroma
Synonyms
  • fragrance

    more often used for flowers and perfume than food

  • scent

    neutral; can be light or animal-related, not always pleasant

  • bouquet

    specific to wine tasting, more formal

  • perfume

    stronger, often artificial or applied to the body

Antonyms
  • stench

    strong unpleasant smell

  • stink

    informal; offensive smell

Grammar Patterns

the aroma of + noun

a + adjective + aroma

Usage Note

Almost always positive. Object of perception is typically food, drink, herbs, spices, perfume, or flowers; rarely used for unpleasant or neutral smells (use 'smell' or 'odour' instead).

Common Mistakes

There was a terrible aroma from the rubbish bin.
There was a terrible smell from the rubbish bin.
'aroma' is reserved for pleasant smells.
I smelled an aroma of gas in the kitchen.
I smelled gas in the kitchen.
gas, smoke, or chemicals take 'smell', not 'aroma'.

Word family

  • aromatic
    adjectiveC1
  • aromatically
    adverbC2
  • aromatherapy
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words name something the nose detects, but they sit at different points on a pleasant-to-unpleasant scale and attach to different sources. 'Aroma' is almost always positive and is the standard choice for cooking, coffee, tea, herbs, and wine: 'the aroma of garlic frying in oil.' 'Fragrance' leans toward flowers, perfume, soaps, and scented products: 'the fragrance of jasmine.' 'Scent' is the most neutral and can describe a faint or specific signal, including animal trails or perfume: 'the dog picked up the scent.' 'Smell' is the everyday, all-purpose word — pleasant or not — and the safest default. 'Odour' (US 'odor') tilts negative or clinical and often appears in formal or scientific writing: 'a chemical odour filled the lab.'

aroma ↗fragrance ↗scent ↗smell ↗odour ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • coffee aroma
  • food aroma
  • wine aroma

Phrases

  • fill the air with the aroma of
  • give off an aroma
  • the aroma of fresh-baked bread

Prepositions

  • aroma of
  • aroma from

Etymology

GreekLatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Borrowed in the 13th century from Latin 'aroma' meaning sweet spice, which itself came from Greek 'arōma', a word used for spices, herbs, and sweet-smelling plants. In English it first referred to the actual spice, and only later shifted to mean the pleasant smell that such spices and food give off.