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

Ranked choice voting would theoretically produce more Angus Kings since the goal of every independent candidate would automatically be to remain palatable to the number of voters in both parties. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "As goes Maine, so goes the nation?," 12 June 2018 Modern cars, with their emphasis on comfort, silence, and connectivity, are an attempt to make the hell that is most driving palatable. — Alex Davies, WIRED, "The Delightfully Nonsensical Slingshot Might Just Be the Future of Driving," 4 July 2018 For about the last 18 months, USC athletic department officials have personally engaged the most financially generous of their fan base, hoping to make the Coliseum Renovation Project palatable for each individual case. — J. Brady Mccollough, latimes.com, "Most USC season-ticket holders will have to pay more in a renovated Coliseum in 2019," 1 June 2018 That’s the contract that is supposed to make everything palatable for the people living in the West End. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: Cincinnati Reds prospect Nick Senzel should be playing," 11 Apr. 2018 McDonald's also is working to make its menu more palatable for the health conscious. — Zlati Meyer, USA TODAY, "McDonald's plans to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 36% by 2030," 20 Mar. 2018 Saudi Arabia has enough spare capacity to offset those losses and keep a lid on prices, but Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih acknowledged on Thursday that such a move isn't politically palatable for his fellow OPEC member. — Wael Mahdi, Houston Chronicle, "OPEC seeks last minute compromise as Iran opposes supply boost," 22 June 2018 Meanwhile, the companies are putting together plans to make the scooters more publicly and politically palatable. — Matier & Ross, San Francisco Chronicle, "Herrera’s cease-and-desist letter does nothing to stop SF’s scooters," 18 Apr. 2018 Many gun control advocates have shifted their priorities to other policy goals, such as universal background checks, which are seen as both more comprehensive and more politically palatable. — Alex Seitz-wald, NBC News, "Major GOP donor steps up effort to change his party’s stance on guns," 19 Feb. 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.