unpalatable

American  

[uhn-pal-uh-tuh-buhl] / ʌnˈpæl ə tə bəl /

adjective

1. not palatable; unpleasant to the taste.

2. disagreeable or unacceptable; obnoxious.

   unpalatable behavior.

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unpalatable British  

/ ʌnˈpælətəbəl /

adjective

1. unpleasant to taste

2. difficult to accept

   the unpalatable truth

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Other Word Forms

• unpalatability noun
• unpalatably adverb

Etymology

Origin of unpalatable

First recorded in 1675–85; un- ¹ + palatable

Example Sentences

Facing soaring memory-chip prices, the world’s biggest electronics companies are staring at a list of unpalatable responses: charging consumers more, eating the costs or rejiggering product specs.

From The Wall Street Journal

But for some commentators, the call to name the province simply KwaZulu is an unpalatable reminder of Zulu nationalism and its potential dangers.

From BBC

But a few weeks into its growth cycle it becomes woody and stiff, thorny, unpalatable and, rapidly, enormous.

From The Wall Street Journal

The first is unfeasible — there isn’t that much land — and the other, a new high-rise canyon, would be unpalatable.

From Los Angeles Times

With big and potentially unpalatable trade-offs looming, what alternatives could there be?

From BBC

Related Words

• disagreeable
• distasteful
• unappetizing
• unpleasant
• unsavory