Unraveling Software Antipatterns and Smells Definitions
Richard R. Rivera, Pamela Flores, Carlos E. Anchundia, Marcela Mosquera, Alejandro Jiménez, Xavier Carpio · 2025
Software technical debt may persist if the root cause is misidentified. We argue that this stems from misconceptions about antipatterns and smells. This article reviews the literature to clarify their similarities and differences. Findings suggest that both terms are used interchangeably, with “smell” being more common, though this ambiguity may affect optimal solutions in software projects.