distasteful

adjective

dis·​taste·​ful (ˌ)dis-ˈtāst-fəl 

1

a

: objectionable because offensive to one's personal taste : unpleasant, disagreeable

found the job distasteful

a shady, distasteful character

b

: objectionable because in poor taste, inappropriate, or unethical

a harmless stroking … but it seems oddly distasteful in retrospect

—Richard Sandza et al.

2

: unpleasant to the taste

distasteful unripe fruit

distastefully

(ˌ)dis-ˈtāst-fə-lē 

adverb

distastefulness noun

Synonyms

• brackish
• unappetizing
• unpalatable
• unsavory
• yucky
• yukky

Examples of distasteful in a Sentence

The work was distasteful, but it was the best I could find at the time.

It was a distasteful subject to him.

Recent Examples on the Web

As a result, a short-term period of Israeli authority over Gaza’s security and governance may be unavoidable—and Israelis and Americans should acknowledge this reality, however distasteful. —David Petraeus, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2024

Afterward, however, Mr. Simpson’s pastime became, in the eyes of critics, audacious and distasteful. —Corina Knoll, New York Times, 9 June 2024

And there’s also something distasteful about viewing children instrumentally, about creating entire new human beings for the sake of some national political project. —Kelsey Piper, Vox, 21 June 2024

And when dealing with countries governed by distasteful authoritarians, the United States should double down on diplomacy instead of disengaging. —Oriana Skylar Mastro, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

distasteful

adjective

dis·​taste·​ful dis-ˈtāst-fəl 

: causing displeasure : unpleasant, disagreeable

distastefully

-fə-lē 

adverb

distastefulness noun