palatable

adjective

pal·​at·​able ˈpa-lə-tə-bəl How to pronounce palatable (audio)
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 noun
palatableness noun
palatably 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."

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 Grazers eat more fibrous objects, such as grasses, and consume plants and stalks, which are less palatable (to deer). Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 12 Sep. 2024 Energy Reporter Nancy Vu took a look at how the Left’s one-time dream climate candidate has remade herself in a more palatable image in the latest installment of our series examining the ways everyone is trying to define her with fewer than 100 days left until Election Day. Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 2 Aug. 2024 So the battle to make climate policy palatable could make all the difference, not just in the outcome of the election but in hardening American sentiment about the green transition. TIME, 30 July 2024 In the ‘70s, designers like Yves Saint Laurent with his Rive Gauche collection made the style not just palatable but aspirational in the fashion world. Kristen Philipkoski, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for palatable 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'palatable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of palatable was in 1662

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Dictionary Entries Near palatable

Cite this Entry

“Palatable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palatable. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

palatable

adjective
pal·​at·​able ˈpal-ət-ə-bəl How to pronounce palatable (audio)
1
: agreeable to the taste
2
palatability noun
palatably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on palatable

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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