palatable

adjective

pal·​at·​able ˈpa-lə-tə-bəl 

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

ˌpa-lə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

palatableness noun

palatably

ˈpa-lə-tə-blē 

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."

Synonyms

• agreeable
• all right
• alright
• copacetic
• copasetic
• copesetic
• ducky
• fine
• good
• hunky-dory
• jake [slang]
• OK
• okay
• satisfactory

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

This taco is practically a meal in itself, which makes the $10 price tag more palatable. —Kat Thompson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2023

By removing the possibility of more threatening types of desire, Reeder added, films make these killers more palatable for male audiences. —Elaina Patton, NBC News, 25 Oct. 2023

With witty turn-to-the-camera sidebars and several celebrity explainers (including Margot Robbie, Anthony Bourdain, and Selena Gomez), Adam McKay’s first dramatic directorial venture manages to expertly detail what went wrong in lively, palatable ways. —Lillian Brown, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2023

Prices are more palatable when customers see the portion that goes to an employee. —Ali Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Sep. 2023

Black Cake, adapted from Charmaine Wilkerson’s lively best-seller, is broadly palatable: Its characters are easy to sympathize with, its ideas unimpeachably well-meaning, its settings and costumes painstakingly curated. —Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Oct. 2023

The sense of urgency on the humanitarian front is palatable. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Oct. 2023

At this point, we’re used to pop stars being poised and put-together, but Britney’s continually refused to give us that palatable package of singer and dancer; she’s always had a deeply human offstage existence that wouldn’t be silenced. —Raven Smith, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2023

And Rondeau has indeed presided over palatable results in its most recent update to investors. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

palatable

adjective

pal·​at·​able ˈpal-ət-ə-bəl 

1

: agreeable to the taste

2

: agreeable sense 1, acceptable

palatability

ˌpal-ət-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

palatably

ˈpal-ət-ə-blē 

adverb