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

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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

The killing of veteran Iranian politician Ali Larijani — seen by some as a potential, palatable negotiator — may have strengthened hardliners in Tehran (who were never weak or restrained to begin with). —Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 18 Mar. 2026

But during those years, palatable, oversimplified narratives became prominent—and limiting. —Isle McElroy, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026

Shy, quiet, and very reserved, Grecia struggled to balance the concept of being true to herself, and being outspoken of her work, with the idea of being understood and palatable. —Heide Janssen, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 2026

One of the key benefits of Foffy's daily pet multivitamin soft chews is the highly palatable soft chew format. —Jessica Moore, USA Today, 14 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for palatable

• unpalatable

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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