savory
1 Americanadjective
-
having a salty, spicy, or piquant flavor; not sweet.
Plantains, though they look very similar to bananas, can be used in both sweet and savory dishes, as they take on other flavors really well.
-
having or suggesting the flavor of umami.
A farmhouse cheddar is combined with Italian black truffles for a distinctive earthy, savory flavor.
-
pleasant or agreeable in taste or smell.
Savory aromas fill the air as our friendly staff serves up a variety of rich Southwestern dishes.
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pleasing, attractive, or agreeable.
The album is a savory blend of jazz and Afrobeat.
noun
noun
noun
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any of numerous aromatic plants of the genus Satureja, esp S. montana ( winter savory ) and S. hortensis ( summer savory ), of the Mediterranean region, having narrow leaves and white, pink, or purple flowers: family Lamiaceae (labiates)
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the leaves of any of these plants, used as a potherb
Usage
What does savory mean? Savory describes the kind of rich flavor that’s most often associated with foods like meats and roasted vegetables. There are often considered to be five basic taste sensations: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and savory, or umami. Separately, savory is the name of several kinds of aromatic herbs of the mint family used in cooking, such as ones known as summer savory and winter savory. In the U. K., the word savory is also used to refer to a fragrant and sometimes spicy course or dish. (Such a dish may or may not be described as savory in the popular sense.)Example: That roasted mushroom dish was so savory—it had such a dark, rich flavor.
Synonym Usage
See palatable.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of savory1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English savori; replacing Middle English savure, from Old French savoure, past participle of savourer “to savor”; see origin at savor, -y 1
Origin of savory2
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English saverei(e), saverai(e); probably an alteration (by influence of savory 1 ( def. ) ) of Old French sarree, from Old English sætherie from Latin saturēia
Explanation
Something savory is full of flavor, delicious and tasty — usually something that someone has cooked. In the world of cuisine, savory is also often used to mean the opposite of sweet, or salty. The easiest way to remember savory is that it rhymes with flavory — which is not a real word, but should be. Interestingly, the word unsavory — which is clearly the opposite of savory — is almost never used to describe food. If some dish doesn't taste good, it, well, isn't good-tasting. If something is unsavory, then it's probably a person or situation that seems morally questionable. So, save savory for delicious food and save unsavory for things, people, and ideas deserving of the adjective.
Vocabulary lists containing savory
A Single Shard
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Tasteful Terms: Flavorful Words
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From the Desk of Zoe Washington
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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:
Adding olive brine to a Bloody Mary introduces the same savory complexity that makes a dirty martini so addictive.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
In the oven, the liquid reduces into something richer, the dumplings nestling into a creamy, deeply savory sauce that edges toward casserole territory.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Tasting notes: Vibrant and savory throughout, with lingering bubbles and a delicate mineral note on the finish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
Thanks to a Philippines-Mexico connection, coconut shows up in sweet and savory recipes: ceviche with poached shrimp, coconut limonada and coconut raspado with jammy plums.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
Du Barry and Elisabeth watch me cross the room as royal attendants ply the guests with wine and savory hors d'oeuvres.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
She’s interested in adding regular savories such as pasties and sausage rolls, and maybe bringing new treats such as trifles or Eton Messes to her roster.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
It's so versatile and good for both savories and sweets: baklava, spinach pie, or even as a creative swap for pie dough!
From Salon ● Dec. 22, 2021
In the run-up to Halloween, the Brooklyn Kitchen, which just started giving cooking classes in the Essex Market on the Lower East Side, has scheduled hands-on lessons for savories and sweets for the holiday.
From New York Times ● Oct. 25, 2021
It is easily consumed in small pieces, like a tray of sweets and savories.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 29, 2014
All around the cafeteria, children were stuffing themselves with their usual favorites—greasy foods, savories, and sweet treats—and guzzling chocolate milk and soft drinks.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
Her savoriest late role was as Barbra Streisand’s haughty mother in the 1996 The Mirror Has Two Faces.
From Time ● Aug. 15, 2014
In 400 pages he has arranged the savoriest moments of the last 100 years in a bill-of-fare to suit the taste of journalistic historians, history-minded journalists and plain readers.
From Time Magazine Archive
All this time sit I, like Tantalus, with the savoriest of Domingo’s “beefysteaks” before me and am not allowed to taste it.
From Behind the Bungalow by Aitken, Edward Hamilton
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.
