distasteful

adjective

(ˌ)dis-ˈtāst-fəl How to pronounce distasteful (audio)
Definition of distastefulnext
1
as in unpalatable
disagreeable or disgusting to the sense of taste cod-liver oil is so distasteful that it's worse than anything it cures

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses concerned mothers who find some recent musical trends distasteful

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment the distasteful nature of his job as a bill collector

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of distasteful That brinkmanship play was distasteful back then, but the leaders picked a lane and pursued it. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026 Squirrels may even find the scent distasteful. — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 2 June 2026 For them, however much that one individual can spend doesn’t equate to how much the brand would lose if their best customers found that person distasteful. — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 6 May 2026 How’s a Machiavelli in Manolo Blahniks expected to properly dictate taste in this kind of distasteful environment? — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for distasteful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distasteful
  1. unpalatable
  2. unpleasant
  3. disgusting
  4. unappetizing
  5. unpleasing
  6. ugly
  7. horrible
  8. harsh
Adjective
  • Threading that needle could force Burnham to make politically unpalatable choices.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 July 2026
  • To be sure, raising the payroll tax might be politically unpalatable for lawmakers, who would almost certainly face pushback from businesses and employees, experts note.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 17 June 2026
Definition of unpalatable
Adjective
  • Wyman was a happy warrior — often partisan, but rarely unpleasant.
    — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The day’s unpleasant winds eventually drive us indoors to the nearby, and aptly named, John’s Coffee Shop.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • In a series distinguished by copious disgusting battle scenes, Ormund co-stars in one of its very grossest—a gross-on-gross-on-gross flambé—and almost gets in one last barf.
    — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • His central characters can be nasty, disgusting, violent, hysterically cruel, and passionately consumed.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • The sugars react during high-heat cooking, causing potatoes to brown excessively and develop an unappetizing dark color or blotchy brown patches.
    — Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Unfortunately, that also unleashed endless talk, not only about restaurants, but also about diets, nutrition, gastric symptoms, preferences, prohibitions and other unappetizing subjects.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 27 July 2026
Definition of unappetizing
Adjective
  • The identity of the unpleasing Lindsay Marriott’s slayer has no pressing interest.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
  • The remarks not only referred to the aesthetics of the game – tedious matches devoid of skillful merit that were unpleasing to watch.
    — Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
Definition of unpleasing
Adjective
  • Some of the coverage may be ugly and unfair, but isn’t obscurity worse?
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The City of Atlanta and Fulton County’s Board of Commissioners have been trading negotiations over the sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center, and things have started to get ugly.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • After years of seeing enough photos of fabulous wealth and horrible tragedy, these types of images cease to shock us.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • But the horrible jobs data suggests the central bank may have to think about weakening consumer spending as well.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • The documentary spotlighted some harsh criticisms of the show and of Banks.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Now, amid the harsh reality of NBA life for those on the fringes, Thompson is off to the security of a contract in Serbia, to play in the EuroLeague.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of harsh

Browse Nearby Words

distaste
distasteful
distastefulness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Distasteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distasteful. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on distasteful

Nglish: Translation of distasteful for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All