unappetizing

British  

/ ʌnˈæpɪˌtaɪzɪŋ /

adjective

1. (of food) not pleasing or stimulating to the appetite

2. (of a prospect, person, etc) not appealing or attractive

   unappetizing to investors

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Explanation

Anything unappetizing either looks like it would taste terrible or is otherwise unattractive. If the school cafeteria offers only unappetizing mystery meat and limp salad, you'll probably decide to bring a sandwich for lunch. Your personal list of unappetizing things might include black licorice, brussels sprouts, and egg salad. You can also use this adjective for other things that leave you feeling a little queasy, like a relative's unappetizing political convictions or an unappetizing scene in a horror movie that makes you cover your eyes. Unappetizing is what you get when you add the "not" prefix un- to appetizing, which stems from the Latin appetitus, "desiring toward."

Example Sentences

After some research and debate, we present some of filmdom’s least savory meals—food scenes that run the gamut from Merely Unappetizing to Horribly Unspeakable.

From Time • Sep. 17, 2012

Unappetizing black bread, ungarnished even by margarine, completed not only the course, but the dinner.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• insipid
• unappealing
• unattractive
• uninteresting
• unpalatable
• unpleasant
• unsavory