palatable
adjective
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How should you use palatable?
It may be a coincidence that you can’t spell the word palatable without all of the letters in plate (the two words are etymologically unrelated), but this fact may help you remember that palatable is synonymous with a host of words that can describe an enjoyable meal, from tasty to toothsome. Alternatively, you could just stick your finger in your mouth and touch the roof of your mouth, aka your palate. As the palate was once considered the seat of one’s sense of taste, so the word palate eventually came to refer to both a literal and figurative sense of taste (as in “architecture too ornate for my palate”). The adjective palatable arose from palate (via the now-rare verb palate defined in our Unabridged dictionary as “to taste or relish”) in the 17th century, and functions similarly. Seasonings from adobo to za’atar make food more palatable, certainly, but ideas and advice can be made more palatable, too. As a wise woman once sang, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
Synonyms of palatable
Examples of palatable in a Sentence
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
2 July 2026
And, for all the theater of the hearing and Wyper’s expressions of sympathy with aldermen, the Stonepeak executive didn’t offer any meaningful concessions to make this obnoxious meter deal more palatable for Chicagoans.
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The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
26 June 2026
Though it's closely related to lemongrass, citronella grass is not palatable for using in cooking.
—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
23 June 2026
There is an argument to say that the viewer shouldn’t be protected, that they should be shown everything and then left to decide for themselves what is palatable and what isn’t.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for palatable
Cite this Entry
“Palatable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palatable. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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