palatable

American  

[pal-uh-tuh-buhl] / ˈpæl ə tə bəl /

adjective

1. acceptable or agreeable to the palate or taste; savory.

   palatable food.

   Synonyms:

   delectable, delicious

   Antonyms:

   distasteful, tasteless, unsavory, unpalatable

2. acceptable or agreeable to the mind or feelings.

   palatable ideas.

   Synonyms:

   satisfactory, pleasing

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palatable British  

/ ˈpælətəbəl /

adjective

1. pleasant to taste

2. acceptable or satisfactory

   a palatable suggestion

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Related Words

Palatable, appetizing, tasty, savory all refer to tastes or aromas pleasing to the palate and in some cases to the olfactory nerves. Palatable has the least positive connotation of these terms, often referring to food that is merely acceptable and not especially good: a palatable, if undistinguished, main course; a barely palatable mixture of overcooked vegetables. Appetizing suggests stimulation of the appetite by the smell, taste of food, and is the only one of these words that can also refer to food pleasing to the eye: the appetizing aroma of baking bread; the table contained an appetizing display of meats, cheeses, and salads. Tasty refers to food that has a notable or especially appealing taste: mixed with bits of a tasty sausage; an especially tasty sauce. Savory refers most often to well or highly seasoned foods and applies to their appeal in both taste and smell: a savory, succulent roast of beef, spiced with slivers of garlic; the savory aroma of a simmering duck sauce.

Other Word Forms

• nonpalatable
  adjective
• nonpalatably
  adverb
• palatability
  noun
• palatableness
  noun
• palatably
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of palatable

First recorded in 1660–70; palate + -able

Explanation

Something that is palatable is acceptable to one’s sense of taste—literally or figuratively. If it's palatable, then you can put up with it — whether it's leftovers or a mediocre made-for-TV movie. The palate is the roof of the mouth, the combination of structures that separates the mouth from the nose. Early anatomists believed that the sense of taste was located in the palate, and, just as taste is metaphorically expanded to include sensibilities beyond the experience of food and drink, so palatable can be used to describe phenomena beyond the culinary. And, while palatable can mean pleasing or agreeable, it generally means merely tolerable—edible, rather than delicious.

Example Sentences

Analysts suggest that the more palatable rules could open the for more buybacks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

She finds the idea of limiting scrolling much more palatable than a total ban.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

“Why now?” is just a more palatable version of “lying slut,” a question based on ignorance about how trauma — and society — works.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

So, in an attempt to make yogurt more palatable, companies upped the sweet factor.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

We’d worked shoulder to shoulder all summer, which made the whole endeavor more palatable.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• acceptable
• agreeable
• appetizing
• attractive
• delicious
• enjoyable
• pleasant
• satisfactory
• tempting