salty
Americanadjective
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saltier,
comparative
-
saltiest
superlative
-
racy or coarse.
salty humor.
-
of the sea, sailing, or life at sea.
salty tales of adventure on the high seas.
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Slang. (especially of a sailor) toughened by experience.
proud and salty Marines.
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Slang. angry, upset, or hostile, especially due to embarrassment or failure.
He gets all salty whenever he loses.
adjective
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of, tasting of, or containing salt
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(esp of humour) sharp; piquant
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relating to life at sea
Usage
What else does salty mean? Salty is a slang term for irritated, angry, or resentful, especially as a result of losing or being slighted. This sense of salty originates in and was popularized by Black English.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of salty
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; see origin at salt 1, -y 1
Explanation
Potato chips and sea captains are salty. Salty can mean literally covered in salt like those delicious chips, or just crotchety, like a foul-mouthed skipper. You can't drink sea water because it's so salty — but it may be hard for you to eat certain foods when they're not salty enough. Colloquially, you can use this adjective to mean "down-to-earth," "aggressive," or "exciting." So for example you could describe a movie pirate who's tough and blunt-spoken as salty. The "exciting or provocative" meaning dates from the 1860s, from the sense of "giving life or strong flavor."
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:
Some rancid wine that tasted like "salty bin juice", according to comedian Joanne McNally, topped off possibly the most revolting task yet.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
He noted that along with GLP-1s, potential restrictions on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, subsidies could also put pressure on sales of salty snacks.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
The varieties from Pemaquid Oyster Company started with a salty brine that teed up an oceanic kick of kelp.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
This salty chemistry could have important implications for understanding the chemical conditions that helped produce molecules relevant to life.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
A salty wind blew from the land out over the water.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
That was particularly true in areas like saltier snacks, said Jocelyn Carter, senior strategic marketing director for private label at ingredient developer Kerry.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
This is a story about AI and chips, but not AI chips—think saltier, a little more crunchy, lower price tag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
As warm, salty surface water travels north through the Atlantic, evaporation makes it saltier.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The kind of pickles you use also matters, as some brines lean more sweeter, while others are saltier.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2025
The waves just kept on coming, larger and harsher and saltier than ever before.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
Stewart did not refrain from expressing this opinion in the saltiest terms on-air, especially to Carlson, the show’s co-host who was cast as the overgrown college Republican with odious views and a polka dot bowtie.
From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2026
The saltiest language — some of it referring to Heard — was silenced on Court TV, which is broadcasting the trial live.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2022
With that goal in mind, Pugh, Manda and Andrea Gibbs, the local agriculture agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension, convened at the edge of Pugh’s saltiest field on a recent blustery afternoon.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 1, 2019
Where are the saltiest parts of the oceans?
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
Though written almost entirely in an Italian village it has been justly described by an able critic as "one of the saltiest stories ever published."
From The Visionary Pictures From Nordland by Jessie Muir
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.
