tasteful
Americanadjective
adjective
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indicating good taste
a tasteful design
-
a rare word for tasty
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tasteful
Explanation
Tasteful things are elegant, appropriate, or aesthetically pleasing. You may prefer to hang a single, tasteful holiday wreath on your door — while your neighbor decorates with a somewhat less tasteful 12-foot inflatable Santa surrounded by hot pink reindeer. If you've got good manners, your behavior is tasteful. Having an eye for clothing and decor that's lovely (rather than tacky, ugly or disturbing in some way) is tasteful too. This adjective started came into use in the 17th century. It originally meant "tasting good" but it evolved to mean "having good taste."
Vocabulary lists containing tasteful
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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.
No dichotomy better represents Berlant’s razor-sharp, thoroughly tasteful wit, which sits halfway between refined humorist and go-for-broke court jester.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
But it’s still built like a tasteful record store with hi-res audio and downloads, no ad tier, and a glossy music magazine championing outsider acts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
In a YouTube video, Jack Osbourne said the avatar was going to be "tasteful".
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
It’s also her most stylistically coherent collection of songs since 2015’s “Pageant Material,” with a strong sense of place and tasteful genre experiments that stitch it all together.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
Reader who is kind to sheep and wears tasteful hats.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
