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
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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
Such is the current state of the world that people are more entitled than ever to a blast of music and merriment, devoid of unsavory downsides.
—
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2025
Years later, in 1999, Puig located a promising building in Miami’s Park West neighborhood, then an unsavory part of downtown.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2025
Off-screen, Ashford, who portrays Jesperson’s daughter, Melissa G. Moore, has dealt with her 8-year-old son Jack making some unsavory discoveries of his own.
—Dana Rose Falcone, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025
Some will respond that the CCP yet again has unsavory qualities that make expansion in China unsavory.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsavory
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2025
Years later, in 1999, Puig located a promising building in Miami’s Park West neighborhood, then an unsavory part of downtown.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2025
Off-screen, Ashford, who portrays Jesperson’s daughter, Melissa G. Moore, has dealt with her 8-year-old son Jack making some unsavory discoveries of his own.
—Dana Rose Falcone, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025
Some will respond that the CCP yet again has unsavory qualities that make expansion in China unsavory.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsavory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsavory
Adjective
-
Brands like Rivian, Hyundai, Ford, Chevrolet, and even Slate have a unique opportunity to gain market share as more and more American consumers find Tesla distasteful.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
-
The circumstances made Green’s comments all the more distasteful.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Even children and adolescents express more willingness to shun and punish moral transgressors than people who do something personally obnoxious or offensive but not immoral.—
Jen Cole Wright,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Regardless of what transpired between the two cast members, on or off screen, Aspen was unfairly portrayed as an immoral character.—
Taylor Crumpton,
Essence,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Doing so consumes water, requires the use of often eco-unfriendly cleansers, and adds an unpleasant task to janitors' daily duties.—
Ben Coxworth,
New Atlas,
25 Apr. 2025
-
But that’s another unpleasant truth that is best left unspoken.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In microgravity, foods tend to taste bland because of fluid shifts in our body and smells no longer wafting up into our nose.—
Robert Z. Pearlman,
Space.com,
1 May 2025
-
Water that’s too hot will scorch them and make for a bitter brew; water that’s too cold will under-extract the leaves and yield a bland cup.—
Oset Babür-Winter,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 May 2025
Adjective
-
That's an unappetizing reality for a mayor whose transportation referendum, which was widely approved by voters, just raised the city's sales tax rate.—
Nate Rau,
Axios,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Will the members of that unappetizing quartet turn out to be harbingers of Conquest, War, Famine, and Death?—
airmail.news,
airmail.news,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Of note: Your Content must not be false, defamatory, misleading or hateful, or infringe any copyright or any other third-party rights or otherwise be unlawful.—
Catherine Pearson,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
-
That month, Drummond sued the board directly in the Oklahoma Supreme Court and asked it to rescind the charter contract and declare St. Isidore's establishment as a charter school unlawful.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
The weakness of the Flash 22 is the shoulder straps, which are quite thin.—
Scott Gilbertson,
Wired News,
1 May 2025
-
And those guesses rely on default templates drawn from overrepresented groups in media and training data: cisgender, white, able-bodied, thin.—
Diana Spehar,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsavory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsavory. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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