relish
Americannoun
-
relishes
plural
-
liking or enjoyment of the taste of something.
-
pleasurable appreciation of anything; liking.
He has no relish for obscene jokes.
- Synonyms:
- preference, predilection, partiality, inclination, zest, gusto
-
Cooking.
-
something savory or appetizing added to a meal, as pickles or olives.
-
a sweet pickle made of various vegetables, usually chopped or minced.
-
an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre.
-
-
a pleasing or appetizing flavor.
-
a pleasing or enjoyable quality.
-
a taste or flavor.
- Synonyms:
- savor
-
a smack, trace, or touch of something.
verb (used with object)
-
relishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
relished,
past participle, past
-
relishing
present participle
-
to take pleasure in; like; enjoy.
I don't relish the long drive home.
- Synonyms:
- appreciate
-
to make pleasing to the taste.
-
to like the taste of.
verb (used without object)
-
relishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
relished,
past participle, past
-
relishing
present participle
-
to have taste or flavor.
-
to be agreeable.
verb
-
to savour or enjoy (an experience) to the full
-
to anticipate eagerly; look forward to
-
to enjoy the taste or flavour of (food, etc); savour
-
to give appetizing taste or flavour to (food), by or as if by the addition of pickles or spices
noun
-
liking or enjoyment, as of something eaten or experienced (esp in the phrase with relish )
-
pleasurable anticipation
he didn't have much relish for the idea
-
an appetizing or spicy food added to a main dish to enhance its flavour
-
an appetizing taste or flavour
-
a zestful trace or touch
there was a certain relish in all his writing
-
music (in English lute, viol, and keyboard music of the 16th and 17th centuries) a trilling ornament, used esp at cadences
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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self-relishnoun
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relishableadjective
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unrelishableadjective
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unrelishedadjective
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unrelishingadjective
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relishinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
relishsimple
-
relishessimple
-
have relishedperfect
-
has relishedperfect
-
am relishingprogressive
-
are relishingprogressive
-
is relishingprogressive
-
have been relishingperfect progressive
-
has been relishingperfect progressive
Past
-
relishedsimple
-
had relishedperfect
-
was relishingprogressive
-
were relishingprogressive
-
had been relishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of relish
First recorded in 1520–30; alteration of Middle English reles “aftertaste, scent,” from Old French, variant of relais “remainder, that left behind”; see release
Explanation
Relish isn't just a hotdog topping. The verb relish means to enjoy something immensely. You may relish eating the relish on your hotdog, or you may relish taking an afternoon nap. The word relish has been around since the 16th century and comes to us from the French, who are pretty good at indulging and savoring. When at a dinner party, win points with your host by sighing happily after each bite to show just how much you relish the meal. Relish is also a kind of spicy or savory condiment, the stuff you slather on hotdogs or hamburgers. So if you're fickle when it comes to pickles, you might ask them to hold the relish.
Vocabulary lists containing relish
The Giver
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Freak the Mighty
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"Of Mice and Men"
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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.
See Examples For:
No side will relish coming up against Calvert-Lewin and this aggressive Leeds outfit at Elland Road this season.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
If you relish reading a critic pan a bad movie, then you’ll love Laura Miller’s scathing review of The Whisper Man, a ridiculous new thriller starring Robert De Niro and Michael Keaton.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
Here, it’s a salty, oily, typically plain bread that must be eaten within a few hours of baking, and that locals relish in the morning, dipped in cappuccino.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
He appears to relish being its public face.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
The others crowded round and he repeated his story with relish.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
At 93, the "Downtown" legend still relishes the connection between audience and performer, and the humanity in delivering a vocal -- two things AI songs might eliminate.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
As an artist, Sattouf relishes dark absurdity; as a character, Riad is irresistible even when he’s prickly and judgmental, which is often.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
Though China relishes the status of equal partner, it hasn’t embraced the label publicly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
"Yes, pretty dubious. Most of the things I do in this show are pretty dubious," he says with a flourish, underlining just how much he relishes this role.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
Lourdes relishes winter most of all—the cold scraping sounds on sidewalks and windshields, the ritual of scarves and gloves, hats and zip-in coat linings.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Redick, entering his third season as a head coach, relished the buy-in and interest from the young team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
It’s the kind of thankless task many professors would flee from, but Boyagoda relished the prospect and thinks the group, which is ongoing, made progress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Erin from Lisburn also relished the challenge of foreign opposition.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
And Neill relished that ability, returning time and again to characters whose unpredictability mirrored life’s, creating an oeuvre that is both grotesque and supremely human.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
O Pomp—chief usher of horrors—you who sought out death in tales, you who relished death most—now you are engulfed by your own terrors—and I, who am helpless, pray for thee.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Seven-year-old Aydin is relishing the chance to play somewhere new.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Conductors love to play “Pulcinella” for goofy laughs, exaggerating trombone glissandi and the like, relishing guffaws from the audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
The stands erupted and thousands of Cape Verde supporters, who had carried their team with relentless noise for 90 minutes, celebrated together - hugging, dancing, and relishing the result.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
Not long after, adults will follow suit and find themselves relishing the activities they once forbade their children from.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
He guzzled his water, relishing the wet coolness as it washed down his dry throat.
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
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.
