salty
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
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
-
(esp of humour) sharp; piquant
-
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
Because the volcano erupted beneath the ocean, it blasted enormous quantities of salty seawater upward along with volcanic ash.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 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
"Was trying to figure out why they so salty."
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
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
Whether your team chicken, shrimp, or beef, the individual packets are highly concentrated and on the saltier side.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
As warm, salty surface water travels north through the Atlantic, evaporation makes it saltier.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Comes out a little saltier than I intended, but whatever.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
For instance, McDonald's chicken nuggets are saltiest in the U.S. and even American Coke contains salt, an ingredient it lacks in other countries.
From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2024
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
The saltiest reminder of this came from Rick Wakeman, Yes’s keyboardist.
From New York Times ● Apr. 8, 2017
Following this exchange, attempts at salt making, especially on the Eastern Shore where the waters were saltiest, were renewed.
From The Bounty of the Chesapeake Fishing in Colonial Virginia by James Wharton
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
