Definition of PALATABLE

Other Words from palatable

palatability \ ˌpa-lə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē

\ noun

palatableness noun

palatably \ ˈpa-lə-tə-blē

\ adverb

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

How Should You Use palatable?

Palatable comes from palate, a Latin-derived word for the roof of the mouth. 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." Palatable has been used in English to refer to palate-pleasing foods since 1619, but it isn't our only—or our oldest—adjective for agreeable tastes. Savory dates from the 14th century. Toothsome has been around since 1551. Tasty was first used in the early 17th century. And appetizing has been gracing culinary reviews since 1653.

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

Some Republicans are finding expansion more palatable now that the Trump administration is letting states impose work requirements on recipients. — Stephanie Armour, WSJ, "Medicaid Expansion Gains Popularity in Red States," 14 June 2018 Likewise, though films like Eighth Grade may contain mature elements, their execution renders them more palatable for a younger class of viewers than an R rating would suggest. — Charles Bramesco, Vox, "Eighth Grade’s R rating deters actual 8th graders from seeing it. What a shame.," 18 July 2018 Most Mormons find Cotton Mather’s viewpoint more palatable than Ulrich’s: Righteous women are gentle, mild-mannered, and meek, particularly in the company of men of authority. — Judy Dushku, The Cut, "I’ve Been a Mormon for 75 Years. Here’s What I Know About the Church and Assault.," 13 Feb. 2018 So sometimes, filmmakers who receive an NC-17 rating will recut the film to receive an R rating instead, thus making the film palatable to movie theaters and a broader audience. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "Critics called Lars von Trier’s new movie “repulsive.” It’s being released twice.," 6 Dec. 2018 That lament, though, has enraged the pact’s supporters, who never saw a fix as remotely palatable to Mr. Trump and blame Mr. Dubowitz above all others for providing the intellectual foundation for its passing. — New York Times, "He Was a Tireless Critic of the Iran Deal. Now He Insists He Wanted to Save It.," 13 May 2018 The steady flow of new information regarding CTE has made changes for the sake of safety much more palatable. — Andy Staples, SI.com, "Expect Todd McNair’s Defamation Lawsuit to Get Messy for the NCAA," 18 Apr. 2018 At the Yankees insistence, Sunday’s game, once scheduled for 8 p.m., was switched to a 1 p.m. start by the sports network — much more palatable amid the Yankees’ travel plans. — David Waldstein, New York Times, "The Yankees Went to Extra Innings, but Still Knocked Off Early," 8 July 2018 The show had always been preachy, but in a vaguely palatable way where the preachiness felt grounded in the characters. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "The rise, fall, and unlikely return of Murphy Brown, explained," 27 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'palatable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.