relish

American  

[rel-ish] / ˈrɛl ɪʃ /

noun

• relishes
  plural

1. liking or enjoyment of the taste of something.

   Synonyms:

   zest, gusto

   Antonyms:

   disfavor, distaste

2. pleasurable appreciation of anything; liking.

   He has no relish for obscene jokes.

   Synonyms:

   preference, predilection, partiality, inclination, zest, gusto

   Antonyms:

   disfavor, distaste

3. Cooking.

   1. something savory or appetizing added to a meal, as pickles or olives.

   2. a sweet pickle made of various vegetables, usually chopped or minced.

   3. an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre.

   Synonyms:

   appetizer, condiment

4. a pleasing or appetizing flavor.

5. a pleasing or enjoyable quality.

6. a taste or flavor.

   Synonyms:

   savor

7. a smack, trace, or touch of something.

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verb (used with object)

• relishes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• relished,
  past participle,  past
• relishing
  present participle

1. to take pleasure in; like; enjoy.

   I don't relish the long drive home.

   Synonyms:

   appreciate

2. to make pleasing to the taste.

3. to like the taste of.

verb (used without object)

• relishes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• relished,
  past participle,  past
• relishing
  present participle

1. to have taste or flavor.

2. to be agreeable.

relish British  

/ ˈrɛlɪʃ /

verb

1. to savour or enjoy (an experience) to the full

2. to anticipate eagerly; look forward to

3. to enjoy the taste or flavour of (food, etc); savour

4. to give appetizing taste or flavour to (food), by or as if by the addition of pickles or spices

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noun

1. liking or enjoyment, as of something eaten or experienced (esp in the phrase with relish )

2. pleasurable anticipation

   he didn't have much relish for the idea

3. an appetizing or spicy food added to a main dish to enhance its flavour

4. an appetizing taste or flavour

5. a zestful trace or touch

   there was a certain relish in all his writing

6. 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

• self-relish
  noun
• relishable
  adjective
• unrelishable
  adjective
• unrelished
  adjective
• unrelishing
  adjective
• relishingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• relishes
  plural

Participles

• relishing
  present
• relished
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• relish
  simple
• relishes
  simple
• have relished
  perfect
• has relished
  perfect
• am relishing
  progressive
• are relishing
  progressive
• is relishing
  progressive
• have been relishing
  perfect progressive
• has been relishing
  perfect progressive

Past

• relished
  simple
• had relished
  perfect
• was relishing
  progressive
• were relishing
  progressive
• had been relishing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will relish
  simple
• will have relished
  perfect
• will be relishing
  progressive
• will have been relishing
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

relish relishes relished relishing

Nadira Goffe makes the case for a relish comeback.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

While roadways like the 5 serve to get you from one point to another quickly and efficiently, this one begs you to relish the journey.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Steve Clarke and his side know they will need to improve, but McGinn says they will relish this victory on their return to football's biggest stage.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

The snackiest expression of the theme: a loose, lemony caper relish that lives in the refrigerator waiting to improve whatever happens to cross its path.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026

And in Sachsenhausen, they played the game with relish.

From "Prisoner B-3087" by Alan Gratz

He relishes the fast and funny dialogue, flinging around fancy words that don’t mean a thing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Broca relishes his ability to make whatever decisions he wants on his own, often from his sun-drenched Sausalito, Calif., living room.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

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

Tendai saw that while each large bowl contained sad^a, not all the relishes were the same.

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer

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

Leading the Cincinnati Symphony, conductor Kevin Miller relished the sweeping, Disneyesque optimism of the score.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

He revealed to the podcast hosts that he has relished in the opportunity to build a true sanctuary for his family, steadily transforming the rural, rustic property into something he can be proud of.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

Pecking Lee on the cheek, Mann relished the big-arena rock moment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

After a time in solitary, I relished the company even of the insects in my cell, and found myself on the verge of initiating conversations with a cockroach.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

His exuberant on-pitch persona, relishing confrontation and celebrating tries with rehearsed routines, has attracted attention and a legion of young fans.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 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

France are some outfit and no defender will be relishing seeing any of their forwards zig-zagging their way towards goal.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026

He tested himself on increasingly higher peaks, relishing moments such as breaking through cloud layers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026

“Which brings me,” he said, visibly relishing the moment, “to poop.”

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Related Words

• admire
• cherish
• delight in
• enjoy
• go for
• prefer
• revel in
• savor