1
as in distasteful
disagreeable or disgusting to the sense of taste
an unsavory blend of spices that simply overwhelmed the fish's delicate flavor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in immoral
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
unsavory doings that ruined the couple's good name in the community
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses
hated the whole unsavory business of firing people
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bland
lacking in taste or flavor
the unsavory food dished up at the rest area's restaurant should be consumed only by the truly desperate
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsavory
Ensuring that the everyday coat of crumbs, pet hair, and any other unsavory particulate has been removed is essential.
—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2025
The Dodgers immediately fired Mizuhara; investigations were launched by MLB and the IRS; and five days later, Ohtani issued a statement denying any role in a scandal that echoed unsavory chapters of the sport’s past.
—David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025
The problem with that perspective is that if a user enters a prompt of some untoward nature, the odds are that society would expect the AI maker to have detected the unsavory matter.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Jillian Michaels has loudly broken her silence on a contentious new docuseries on Netflix, which makes claims about the former The Biggest Loser cohost in a variety of its more unsavory scandals.
—Ryan Coleman Published, EW.com, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsavory
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2025
The Dodgers immediately fired Mizuhara; investigations were launched by MLB and the IRS; and five days later, Ohtani issued a statement denying any role in a scandal that echoed unsavory chapters of the sport’s past.
—David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025
The problem with that perspective is that if a user enters a prompt of some untoward nature, the odds are that society would expect the AI maker to have detected the unsavory matter.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Jillian Michaels has loudly broken her silence on a contentious new docuseries on Netflix, which makes claims about the former The Biggest Loser cohost in a variety of its more unsavory scandals.
—Ryan Coleman Published, EW.com, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsavory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsavory
Adjective
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But Republicans were determined to use the revenue produced by a cap to pay for marginal rate cuts that Democrats found distasteful.—
Joseph Thorndike,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The artwork — a graphic close-up shot of a tiny American flag bikini on a woman’s pelvic area — was considered so distasteful by some that chain stores like Walmart and Kmart banned it at the time.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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It was considered immoral to lie and the whole point of writing things down back then was to increase morality and improve society, so there really is no didactic history of forgery.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
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Unlike previous seasons, Dorothy never makes immoral choices.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Considering that Rebecca and Noah’s mom, Bina (Tovah Feldshuh), came off as equally unpleasant, Foster, Konner, and Kaplan kind of had to retool the character.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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Despite being so unpleasant, hemorrhoid complications are surprisingly common.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Street Kings is bland, forgettable pulp — Reeves doesn’t enliven it, getting buried along with the rest of a fine ensemble that includes Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, and a pre-Captain America Chris Evans.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
18 Oct. 2025
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Companies such as OpenAI fine-tune the models behind modern chatbots not just to imitate existing writing, but to use the particularly bland and cheerful style that any chatbot user recognizes.—
Vauhini Vara,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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One of the running gags of the Space Race was the unappetizing nature of the food astronauts packed for their trip to the Moon.—
David Szondy
October 19,
New Atlas,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Among the all-natural brands, the color might seem anathema, even unappetizing.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Advertisement What the Supreme Court is considering At issue before the Supreme Court is whether the federal statute barring gun ownership for unlawful drug users is similar enough to other historical restrictions on firearm possession.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
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Having been taken to Coonabarabran Police Station, Valette was charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a person with intent and affray, which is fighting or the threat of unlawful violence which makes another person fear for their life, per the NSW Police news release.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Smears on non-sensor areas of the tiara are like bug debris on your hood, aesthetically unpleasing but not harmful.—
Eric Tegler,
Popular Mechanics,
1 Oct. 2019
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His side's inability to finish off the game against Burnley on the other hand was very unpleasing.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
1 Feb. 2018
Adjective
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Instead of a hearty stew of beans, meat, and spices like cumin and chili powder, Skyline or Cincinnati chili is a thinner, slightly sweet meat sauce with strong notes of cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
23 Oct. 2025
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What the team found instead was a thin layer of clay, less than one-hundredth of an inch thick, which had formed on top of the animals’ skin.—
Amanda Schupak,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsavory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsavory. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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