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Synonyms

tasty

American  
[tey-stee] / ˈteɪ sti /

adjective

  • tastier,
    comparative
  • tastiest
    superlative
  1. good-tasting; savory.

    a tasty canapé.

    Synonyms:
    appetizing, toothsome, delectable, delicious
  2. Informal. having or showing good taste; tasteful.


tasty British  
/ ˈteɪstɪ /

adjective

  1. having a pleasant flavour

  2. informal attractive: used chiefly by men when talking of women

  3. informal skilful or impressive

    she was a bit tasty with a cutlass

  4. (of cheddar cheese) having a strong flavour

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See palatable.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

Etymology

Origin of tasty

First recorded in 1610–20; taste + -y 1

Explanation

Things that taste great are tasty. You could describe your favorite foods, from doughnuts to baked ziti, as tasty. While tasty basically means the same thing as yummy or flavorful, it implies a less serious compliment than the word delicious, for example. Potato chips are tasty, and so are grilled cheese sandwiches and soft serve ice cream cones. They're pleasant and appetizing, but not necessarily the most amazing food you've ever eaten. Tasty once had a secondary meaning of "elegant" or "tasteful."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing tasty

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:

Indeed, your avian visitors may complain if you give them fewer tasty treats or stop feeding them altogether.

From Science Daily Aug. 24, 2026

In previous research on dogs, the same brain region has been found to light up when the dogs anticipated a tasty snack, or smelled a familiar person.

From BBC Aug. 10, 2026

Enjoy a tasty tomato treat: Summer is the perfect time to enjoy tomato sandwiches—and not just because they’re delicious.

From Slate Jul. 27, 2026

I have a dietitian who advises me on how to eat better, so I really do work on finding a mix of healthy but tasty foods.

From Los Angeles Times May 1, 2026

As soon as she was able, she vowed to give his tiny, not-too-bright head as many head scratches as he—or she —wanted, and some tasty eikenøtts, too.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Would you eat insects if they were tastier?

From BBC Jul. 22, 2026

Let’s be real: Garlic makes just about everything tastier.

From Slate Jun. 15, 2026

Young and trendy Parisian restaurants such as Paloma or Ober Mamma are usually tastier and cheaper, especially in the up-and-coming 18th, 19th, and 20th arrondissements.

From Barron's Mar. 8, 2026

"If we better understand the underlying processes," says Luo, "we can cook tastier and more digestible dishes, so to speak, because then we'll know exactly which spices, in which amounts, make the sauce especially tasty."

From Science Daily Nov. 27, 2025

The predators ignore us on a day when easier, tastier prey abounds.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

Before private asset stocks lost their savor this year, StepStone Group was one of the tastiest.

From Barron's May 20, 2026

She says they're not the tastiest - but they serve a purpose.

From BBC Apr. 25, 2026

My culinary reward came at Veera Flavors, which offered the tastiest thali—a tin tray piled high with vegetable dishes, rice, yogurt and pickles—outside of Chennai.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 27, 2025

Farmers in southwest Mexico began to select the progeny of teosinte plants that produced the most grains, and the tastiest grains, more than 9,000 years ago.

From Science Daily May 22, 2024

While he smirked, Auntie Lindo demonstrated the proper technique, poking her chopstick into the orange spongy part: “You have to dig in here, get this out. The brain is most tastiest, you try.”

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

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