delicious
Americanadjective
-
highly pleasing to the senses, especially to taste or smell.
a delicious dinner;
a delicious aroma.
- Synonyms:
- delicate, dainty, delectable, savory, palatable
- Antonyms:
- unpleasant
-
very pleasing; delightful.
a delicious sense of humor.
noun
adjective
-
very appealing to the senses, esp to the taste or smell
-
extremely enjoyable or entertaining
a delicious joke
Usage
Spelling tips for delicious The word delicious is hard to spell because it is spelled very differently from the way it is pronounced [ dih-lish-uhs ]. How to spell delicious: A deli is a place that sells sandwiches with Cheese, Iceberg lettuce, Onions, and Usually Salami (-CIOUS). This tasty sentence reminds you how to spell deli-cious.
Related Words
Delicious, luscious refer to that which is especially agreeable to the senses. That which is delicious is highly agreeable to the taste or sometimes to the smell: a delicious meal. Luscious implies such a luxuriant fullness or ripeness as to make an object rich: a luscious banana; a luscious beauty; luscious music.
Other Word Forms
- deliciously adverb
- deliciousness noun
- hyperdelicious adjective
- hyperdeliciously adverb
- hyperdeliciousness noun
- overdelicious adjective
- overdeliciously adverb
- overdeliciousness noun
- undelicious adjective
- undeliciously adverb
Etymology
Origin of delicious
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin dēliciōsus, equivalent to Latin dēliciae “delight” + -ōsus -ous
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.
Even Nana’s delicious, supposedly Pakistani cooking took on a new meaning.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
They realize Mr. da Silva’s peddling more than just delicious food, great coffee and fun merch.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
Before me was a lunch as big and hefty as a brick, wrapped in gold-colored foil that gleamed with the promise of a delicious meal.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026
If you’re trying to get excited about vegetables, give yourself permission to make them delicious on purpose.
From Salon • Feb. 18, 2026
To make matters even worse, the food emitting that delicious smell, the food that Maya-Jade was eating, was lasagna.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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.
