salty
Americanadjective
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racy or coarse.
salty humor.
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of the sea, sailing, or life at sea.
salty tales of adventure on the high seas.
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Slang. (especially of a sailor) toughened by experience.
proud and salty Marines.
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Slang. angry, upset, or hostile, especially due to embarrassment or failure.
He gets all salty whenever he loses.
adjective
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of, tasting of, or containing salt
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(esp of humour) sharp; piquant
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relating to life at sea
Usage
What else does salty mean? Salty is a slang term for irritated, angry, or resentful, especially as a result of losing or being slighted. This sense of salty originates in and was popularized by Black English.
Other Word Forms
- oversalty adjective
- saltily adverb
- saltiness noun
- unsalty adjective
Etymology
Origin of salty
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; salt 1, -y 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A convicted murderer serving a life sentence in Australia is challenging a ban on prisoners consuming Vegemite - the polarising, salty spread that has become a national symbol.
From BBC
The startup essentially tailors microbes using a technique known as adaptive laboratory evolution—gradually exposing the organisms to conditions such as high arsenic or salty water.
Enceladus is a geologically active world with a global, salty ocean hidden beneath its icy surface.
From Science Daily
As we walk the long beach on toasty sand toward the lockers, the sun dries us and leaves us salty.
From Salon
Indeed, Atencio’s words — some of those quoted in the book, such as “Avast there! Ye come seeking adventure and salty old pirates, aye?” — have become shorthand for how to speak like a pirate.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
