unsavory
Americanadjective
-
not savory; tasteless or insipid.
an unsavory meal.
- Synonyms:
- unappetizing, flat
-
unpleasant in taste or smell; distasteful.
-
unappealing or disagreeable, as a pursuit.
Poor teachers can make education unsavory.
-
socially or morally objectionable or offensive.
an unsavory past; an unsavory person.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unsavory
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at un- 1, savory 1
Explanation
Call something unsavory if it's unappetizing, tasteless, or morally offensive. Curdled sour milk is pretty unsavory, as are the dirty details of the latest political scandal. The adjective unsavory was formed by merging un, meaning “not,” with savory, meaning “pleasant, agreeable.” So if it's unsavory, it's unpleasant. First used to describe revolting tastes, unsavory now also applies to just about anything that figuratively leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Mobsters do all kinds of unsavory things to the people that cross them. So you probably shouldn't hang out with such unsavory characters.
Vocabulary lists containing unsavory
100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
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We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
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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.
The scene involves an unsavory routine on how to recognize a shoplifter.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
That means "unsavory facts will take longer to come to light, if they do at all. The administration will feel less pressure to provide a coherent justification and plan," he said.
From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026
Google and security researchers say the mysterious Chinese company is an unsavory enterprise that sneaks unwanted and dangerous software on millions of phones, home computers and Android devices.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
These unsavory gimmicks do nothing but provide more encouragement to reduce art into something fun to post about online.
From Salon • Jan. 11, 2026
“I really don’t want to work with Cha-Cha. She is such an unsavory schemer.”
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
