unpalatable

adjective

un·​pal·​at·​able ˌən-ˈpa-lə-tə-bəl How to pronounce unpalatable (audio)
1
: not palatable : distasteful
unpalatable wines
2
: unpleasant, disagreeable
raising income tax rates is politically unpalatableMary Rowland
unpalatability noun

Examples of unpalatable in a Sentence

pasta and honey is an unpalatable combination hesitated before sharing some of the more unpalatable details of his captivity
Recent Examples on the Web The state would have to repay the bonds by $310 million each year for 30 years — a potentially unpalatable figure when the state is already grappling with a nearly $38 billion budget deficit. Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 30 Jan. 2024 Still, many have pointed out that there are factors that make the decision particularly unpalatable. Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2024 For Williams, making a movie in which no one worries whether grieving is palatable — a movie in which the reaction to death is aggressively, comically unpalatable — was cathartic. Melena Ryzik, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024 The idea of rewarding Palestinian in the wake of the brutal Oct. 7 attack is unpalatable to the vast majority of Israelis, opinion polls show, even though a sense of urgency about the release of the hostages is also top of mind. Anna Schecter, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2024 Now Larry has to deal with Maria Sofia in an entirely new but equally unpalatable way. Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2024 Not since The Honeymooners had television had a blue collar hero, never had the prime character in a program been so unpalatable, and never had so many controversial issues been tossed into the maw of a sitcom. Jamie Malanowski, EW.com, 6 Dec. 2023 As early as 2017, Republicans committed themselves to a quixotic quest to nominate the most unpalatable candidates possible to high office — an enterprise that reliably culminated in electoral disaster. Noah Rothman, National Review, 17 Jan. 2024 Previous efforts to establish a global agreement for carbon pricing have set target prices too high, making the frameworks seem daunting and politically unpalatable. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unpalatable.' 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

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of unpalatable was in 1658

Dictionary Entries Near unpalatable

Cite this Entry

“Unpalatable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unpalatable. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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