unsavory

American  

[uhn-sey-vuh-ree] / ʌnˈseɪ və ri /

especially British, unsavoury

adjective

1. not savory; tasteless or insipid.

   an unsavory meal.

   Synonyms:

   unappetizing, flat

2. unpleasant in taste or smell; distasteful.

3. unappealing or disagreeable, as a pursuit.

   Poor teachers can make education unsavory.

4. socially or morally objectionable or offensive.

   an unsavory past; an unsavory person.

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Other Word Forms

• unsavorily adverb
• unsavoriness noun

Etymology

Origin of unsavory

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; un- ¹, savory ¹

Example Sentences

They recall unsavory nicknames and a persistent stigma.

From The Wall Street Journal

Victoria quickly realized that people were finding the setting reassuring, even if the political sagas and unsavory characters in his world were stressful.

From The Wall Street Journal

My whole career, I’ve been pretty good at taking an unsavory character and humanizing him.

From The Wall Street Journal

She held the envelope between two fingertips, as if it were something unsavory.

From Literature

While maintaining a fragile—and heartrending—composure, Ms. Manville’s Jocasta also reveals that she was not Laius’ only victim; it is implied that he was killed while heading to some sort of unsavory assignation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• distasteful
• nasty
• objectionable
• obnoxious
• shady
• unappetizing
• unpalatable
• unpleasant