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

distasteful jokes/behavior

2

: unpleasant to the taste

distasteful unripe fruit

distastefully

(ˌ)dis-ˈtāst-fə-lē 

adverb

distastefulness noun

Synonyms of distasteful

• unpalatable
• unappetizing
• horrible
• unsavory
• bad
• awful
• nasty
• brackish
• repugnant
• repulsive
• yucky
• obnoxious
• bland
• revolting

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

Even more distasteful was their decision to flee to a country home while costarring in the movie 21 Days, essentially abandoning Olivier’s son and Leigh’s daughter, Suzanne. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026

But the news that it was largely funded by Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev shifted this story from distasteful to dangerous. — Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

Susie, who liked telling stories, would probably tell another friend about this friend of hers at the repair event who had insisted on telling her a quite distasteful story about a mortician. — Lydia Davis, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2026

This distasteful interlude cuts back to Reacher and Green continuing to interrogate Ahlquist. — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for distasteful

• tasteful
• wasteful

Kids Definition

distasteful

adjective

dis·​taste·​ful dis-ˈtāst-fəl 

: causing displeasure : unpleasant, disagreeable

distastefully

-fə-lē 

adverb

distastefulness noun