Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for distasteful. Search instead for distastefulnesses.
Synonyms

distasteful

American  
[dis-teyst-fuhl] / dɪsˈteɪst fəl /

adjective

  1. unpleasant, offensive, or causing dislike.

    a distasteful chore.
    Synonyms:
    repulsive, repugnant, disagreeable

  2. unpleasant to the taste.

    a distasteful medicine.
    Synonyms:
    unsavory, unpalatable

  3. showing distaste or dislike.

distasteful British  
/ dɪsˈteɪstfʊl /

adjective

  1. unpleasant or offensive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • distastefully adverb
  • distastefulness noun
  • undistasteful adjective

Etymology

Origin of distasteful

First recorded in 1600–10; distaste + -ful

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.

The Alexanders’ lawyers argued that while the brothers’ behavior could be distasteful and crude, it didn’t amount to a federal crime.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

The frontman took umbrage at Jackson presenting himself as a messianic figure, protecting hundreds of children, calling the display "distasteful and crap".

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

And when Hollywood trades posted on social media that the award for best original score was announced during a commercial break, the Globes felt all the more distasteful.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026

McDonald’s was forced to pull down an AI-generated Christmas commercial from YouTube after some consumers said the AI-slop-filled tongue-in-cheek take on the holidays was distasteful.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

Either one was equally distasteful, because she didn’t want to lie to the first and only rabbi she’d ever met, but she also didn’t want anyone to send her home.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

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.