palatable

[pal-uh-tuh-buhl]

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

palatable

/ ˈpælətəbəl /

adjective

1. pleasant to taste

2. acceptable or satisfactory

   a palatable suggestion

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of palatable¹

First recorded in 1660–70; palate + -able

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

That new document likely incorporates at least some of the amendments proposed by the Europeans and published by Reuters news agency that point to something far more palatable for Kyiv.

Read more on BBC

In 1965, he relocated to London to work with Island Records - later the home of Bob Marley - but the label's attempts to make his sound palatable to rock audiences weren't entirely successful at first.

Read more on BBC

By the time he entered the game, there was little backup quarterback Luke Duncan could do except make the final score slightly more palatable.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He learns to tend fire and realizes that it is not only good for heat, but for making food palatable.

Read more on Salon

But many are too centrist to repudiate them, and the other half are too radical for their alternatives to be palatable.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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