Something or someone that is unpleasant, annoying, or of poor quality; can be playful or serious depending on context.
From 'stink' (Old English 'stincan') plus '-er' agent noun suffix. Originally literal, it evolved to mean anything bad or a person who behaves badly.
In baseball, calling someone a 'stinker' has specific meaning—it refers to a stinker pitch thrown right at a batter's head, showing how the same word has different meanings in different subcultures!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.