palatable

adjective

pal·​at·​able ˈpa-lə-tə-bəl 

1

: agreeable to the palate or taste

The restaurant's chicken dishes are quite palatable.

2

: agreeable or acceptable to the mind

attempted to make physics palatable to a broader range of students

palatability

ˌpa-lə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

palatableness noun

palatably

ˈpa-lə-tə-blē 

adverb

Did you know?

How should you use palatable?

Palatable comes from palate, a word for the roof of the mouth, which itself comes from Latin palatum. The palate was once thought of as the seat of the sense of taste, so the word eventually came to mean "sense of taste," or broadly, "liking."

Synonyms of palatable

• OK
• fine
• alright
• satisfactory
• agreeable
• acceptable
• good
• pleasing

Choose the Right Synonym for palatable

palatable, appetizing, savory, tasty, toothsome mean agreeable or pleasant especially to the sense of taste.

palatable often applies to something that is found to be merely agreeable.

butterflies that birds find palatable

appetizing suggests a whetting of the appetite and applies to aroma and appearance as well as taste.

appetizing hors d'oeuvres

savory applies to both taste and aroma and suggests piquancy and often spiciness.

dumplings with savory fillings

tasty implies a pronounced taste.

a tart and tasty pie

toothsome stresses the notion of agreeableness and sometimes implies tenderness or daintiness.

an enticing array of toothsome desserts

Examples of palatable in a Sentence

a less than palatable beer

I did not find the idea of moving again very palatable.

Recent Examples on the Web

In an era when many politicians try to make only the most cautious public statements, or the ones most palatable to their side of the political spectrum, Wiener is an outlier. —Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026

Using artificial flavors and sweeteners, these foods are designed for more palatable tastes and longer shelf life. —Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026

The nearly $80 million set to come off Toronto’s books next winter, due to expiring contracts of Kevin Gausman, Springer, Varsho and others, could make a high 2026 payroll palatable, too, especially coming off a World Series run. —Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026

Another prospect is that not all of the cuts materialize — say, the trash fee repeal doesn’t happen — or the field of tax increases thins out, making those that remain more palatable to voters. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for palatable

• unpalatable

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

palatable

adjective

pal·​at·​able ˈpal-ət-ə-bəl 

1

: agreeable to the taste

2

: agreeable sense 1, acceptable

palatability

ˌpal-ət-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

palatably

ˈpal-ət-ə-blē 

adverb