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Synonyms

tasty

American  
[tay-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."

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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:

I was busy learning to do magic tricks with cards with him, making tasty cocktails with his product, riding e-scooters on Olympic Boulevard and watching the Lakers play the Minnesota Timberwolves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

On this iconic train journey through the center of Australia, the country’s most dangerous and unique creatures are turned into a tasty snack.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

This reward circuitry is the part of the brain that is activated when we enjoy and remember good things, like tasty food or praise.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Aunt Pretty’s cold supper was as tasty as most folks’ hot meals.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

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

From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026

Dining in Paris’s 18th, 19th, 20th arrondissements and using fixed-price menus offer cheaper, tastier options; tipping isn't required.

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

A March survey-based report out of Purdue University’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability found that “many consumers view conventional meats as both tastier and healthier than laboratory-grown alternatives.”

From Salon ● May 14, 2024

Our shore duties also included cooking and cleaning for the master, and the boys fought over these jobs for the sake of his leftovers, which were far tastier than ours.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

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

From Barron's ● May 20, 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

"It's the tastiest grass I have ever tasted," he told BBC Breakfast.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2023

Often they would lay aside the tastiest morsels for the warders in exchange for favors or preferential treatment.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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