palatability
Americannoun
-
the fact or quality of being acceptable or agreeable to the taste; tastiness.
Judicious use of salt within permissible limits can increase the palatability of food.
-
the fact or quality of being acceptable or agreeable to the mind or feelings; appeal.
Sustainability and resilience refer to similar concepts in ecological management, but resilience arguably has broader political palatability.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of palatability
Explanation
The palatability of something is its quality of being tasty or acceptable in some other way. When you're baking a cake, its palatability is much more important than the way it looks. Food is what you probably think of when you hear the word palatability. It usually has to do with the way things taste, and it comes from the word palate, which in turn is rooted in the Latin palatum, or "roof of the mouth." Palatability has evolved to include other qualities in addition to taste: "I question the palatability of a new tax — will it be acceptable to the voters?"
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.
From a palatability standpoint, soluble fibers are more favorable.
From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2026
The team theorized that this low palatability was probably due to some of the novel sensory characteristics of hemp.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 7, 2024
And I think all of that lends it an accessibility and it lends the content of the film, conversations around race and identity and representation, a greater palatability.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2024
Johnny Carson’s Midwest-meets-Burbank cool was a big reason for his broad palatability, while David Letterman played up the affect of the Indiana weatherman gone twisted.
From New York Times ● Dec. 7, 2022
In texture and in palatability, the kernel of the Chinese chestnut is not excelled by any other true chestnut.
From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Seventh Annual Report Wooster, Ohio, September 3, 4, 5, 1946 by Northern Nut Growers Association
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.
