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

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

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

The open pursuit of money would have been distasteful to her. —Jane Ciabattari august 12, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025

After that kind of a loss, asking if the camp should have been better prepared might feel distasteful. —Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 14 July 2025

Purees can separate, which is both distasteful in appearance and problematic when mixing. —Jeff Burkhart, Mercury News, 25 July 2025

Interestingly, not everyone finds the idea distasteful. —Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025

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