unsavory

especially British, un·sa·vour·y

[uhn-sey-vuh-ree]

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.

Other Word Forms

• unsavorily adverb
• unsavoriness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unsavory¹

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

Example Sentences

Most of the men in the clip, meanwhile, seem to represent the most unsavory examples of their gender.

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Keeping a low profile, Banda makes it to the end by making an alliance with another unsavory player.

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“Even if these things stop tomorrow, you’ve got a pretty demoralized physician and scientific workforce. What this administration has done has given being a scientist an unsavory element — it’s no longer a noble profession.”

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Saudi Arabia, Beijing and other deep-pocketed, unsavory regimes are using the games we love to launder their reputations.

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Individuals and groups with unsavory agendas can try to cannibalize such movements from within.

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Related Words

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