'Redolent' in a sentence

A new word to me, but apparently it means: suggestive; reminiscent.

I've checked a few sentence examples but I'm still unsure as to whether I've used it correctly. The sentence in question is: the smell from a fire, its redolent fumes carried far and wide

Is the syntax correct here?

 

I've always seen it as "...redolent of (something)..."

Edited to add: Such as "redolent of garlic", "redolent of home", and so on.

 

Mmm. Well here's a few examples I found, but I have kind of blindness to this kind of thing. There's a few here that aren't 'redolent of', but they still don't tell me if my example is sound.

redolent of her own Thanksgiving.
Her eyes redolent of a river’s.
Though the stuff was redolent of beans to a few.
Even his long pauses were redolent with meaning.
It was draped in rich colors, redolent with the smell of potpourri.
The house was redolent of savory Christmas fare as Gabriel brought his.
The area itself was redolent with the scent of incense, such as one would find in a temple.
From a certain angle, the spring seems so calm: warm, tender, each night redolent and composed.
The periodicals division was a grotto off the first floor, redolent of burnt coffee and aged paper.
But to the rabbits they were redolent with luxury, a feast to drive all other feelings out of mind.

 

All but one of those is "redolent of" or "redolent with". Your original example seems to be fairly stronger counter to the usual use of the word.

Edited to add: You could try to rewrite it to support some sort of "redolent with..."

The wind was redolent with woodsmoke, the scent spreading far and wide.

 

I've used it incorrectly then?

Thank you, I'll see what I can do.

 

That's my belief. I think you want "redolent of (thing)" or "redolent with (thing)". If you were extremely familiar with the word and had a gut feel for its nuances, you might get away with using it in a nonstandard way, but if it's relatively new to you , I wouldn't recommend it.

 

I've replaced it with pungent. It doesn't carry the same meaning, but will suffice.

Thanks.

 

"Redolent" may be an obscure word; I haven't heard it before (although perhaps I'm in the minority there), therefore I wouldn't use it unless the speaker is someone who generally uses obscure words (like a professor, an unelected politician, or someone who simply wants to sound smart without actually being smart).

 

I've read it many times, but always with a "something" to complete the comparison.

 

Apparently it's originally ("archaic") a reference to a strong smell, and Wikipedia uses "...redolent wine." as an example. I don't think the "of" is necessary unless it... makes sense, if that makes sense. Like instead of "comprised of XYZ" it could be "redolent of XYZ" to suggest those things are in great abundance (although I would have to look up the word to comprehend the sentence, taking me away from the scene at least briefly--assuming I don't ignore it and try to use context clues, which may or may not work).

Either way I think it's best to speak at a level that is both accurate and comprehensible (meaning not too obscure, if that make sense) while also remaining elegant. I'm not sure how to do that without trial and error. Writing a paragraph and then re-reading to hear/see how well it flows and whether it communicates what's intended. And however much flair it ought to have of course varying depending on... everything, I suppose.

It's complicated, but I would avoid dictionary-necessary words like penultimate or insurmountable unless they fit the tone or the sound of the word speaks for itself (like "insurmountable" sounds like a big and unclimbable thing, which implies the actual meaning quite well I think). Or, it makes sense for the words to be used (like "choleric" by those who used to use that old Greek personality system to group people-types).

 

While I agree that words should be no more difficult than is necessary for the purpose, I don't think that insurmountable is a good example of a "dictionary necessary" word. If I Google, I find it used in a fair number of news stories, and news is not usually written at a terribly challenging vocabulary level.

 

The important part to remember as regards this word, which I also do not regard as obscure though the register is somewhat elevated, is that its core meaning and etymology has to do with olfactory concepts.

red- (back or again)
olere - to smell

Redolent by itself as an adjective is the more archaic form, more specifically referring to rich, sweet, verging-on-cloying smells.

Used in its other syntax - redolent of - think of it as smelling of. In this use, the idea of smell can be either flatly factual or metaphorical.

The sentence as written in the OP is missing a follow-up.

...the smell from a fire, its fumes redolent of {burnt plastic, pine resin, creosote, etc.}, carried far and wide...​

 

True, I just couldn't think of any challenging words since I either don't find them challenging myself, saw and forget them, or simply don't know any. Penultimate was the only one I could think of originally.

 

So to say 'redolent fumes' is incorrect simply because no context is given?

Oh, and just to clarify, this is in regards to a poem. Not that I'm sure the fact is altogether relevant.

 

Yeah, by itself as an adjective, it refers to a pretty specific smell that just doesn't link with a fire. Also, that use, as an adjective, is a pretty archaic syntax. Redolent of, meaning smelling of (again, either actual or metaphorical) is more common, modern, and it needs its follow-up.

The fire, redolent of volatile chemicals, burned out of control

or metaphorical...

Her impassioned words, redolent with a sense of tradition and pride, had the crowd cheering.

 

You can do it @Jud. I just found the archaic usage

archaic literary
fragrant or sweet-smelling.
"a rich, inky, redolent wine"
synonyms: smelling of, reeking of;
scented with, fragrant with, perfumed with
"the air was redolent of patchouli"

as oppo to its sister...

strongly reminiscent or suggestive of.
"names redolent of history and tradition"
synonyms: evocative, suggestive, reminiscent, remindful
"an old village church is redolent of everything that is England"

Perhaps... @OurJud tossed the redolent underpants toward his laundry basket [?]

 

So I had used it correctly? I think I’m more confused than I was when I asked the initial question. Anyway I think the archaic element is a good enough reason not to.

 

I can't recall hearing or reading it either.

 

A word that is perhaps redolent of times when higher education was more restricted, qualification rather more rigorous, I feel, before GCSEs and the opening of our universities to the massed Potter ranks and their navel obsessions, [cough, fluff, cough] my walking stick, mummy bring my gin.

 

You are a diamond in our rough - you shall use language however it pleases ye, maestro.

 

Yeah, I may not have been using it wrong, grammatically, but the problem as @ChickenFreak pointed out, is that there was no context. To say, 'redolent fumes' may be grammatically alright, but it doesn't mean anything unless I explain of what the fumes are redolent.

 

This. It's one of my favorite "sensory" words. @OurJud I've used it in reviews to describe a remembered smell or taste...I usually think of it in terms of perfume or food or drink. If I was writing a review of the last bad cup of coffee I had, I'd say "with a flavor redolent of stale cigarettes and cat pee." ETA: It's a word that's sometimes used in perfume reviews, which may be why some of the gents here haven't seen it.

 

When I complain that a particular cup of coffee tastes like the 'contents of an ashtray', I get very odd looks. Glad it's not just me.

 

@Shenanigator - as to your thoughts on the word, I think I need to explain why I dropped it. The fact I gave it no context (and thus was using it incorrectly - or at least incompletely) isn't really the point any more. The point was its inclusion in the first place and why I ever thought it was justified. I recently criticised a member here for being too concerned about her poetry sounding poetic, which is exactly what I was doing when using the word redolent. It might be a very nice word (and it is) but I would never use it in a million years during the normal course of speech. In fact I didn't even know of its existence till a thesaurus offered it me as an alternative to whatever word I'd originally used.