distasteful
adjective
dis·taste·ful
(ˌ)dis-ˈtāst-fəl 
1
a
: objectionable because offensive to one's personal taste : unpleasant, disagreeable
found the job distasteful
a shady, distasteful character
b
: objectionable because in poor taste, inappropriate, or unethical
a harmless stroking … but it seems oddly distasteful in retrospect—
Richard Sandza et al.
Richard Sandza et al.2
: unpleasant to the taste
distasteful unripe fruit
distastefulness
noun
Examples of distasteful in a Sentence
The work was distasteful, but it was the best I could find at the time.
It was a distasteful subject to him.
Recent Examples on the Web
As Kelli storms off, Brit yells the distasteful comment about Kelli’s abortions, following it up by calling her a hobbit, and the rest of the women reflexively gasp, knowing how low of a blow such a statement is.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 23 June 2025
Unfortunately, Canadians found the carbon pricing system confusing and distasteful.
—Hersh Shefrin, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
In 2021, 71% of young Americans said people should be allowed to insult the U.S. flag, which is a key indicator of support for free speech, no matter how distasteful.
—Jacob McHangama, The Conversation, 12 May 2025
There’s nothing wrong with the latter, but there is something distasteful about pursuing it under the guise of being a nonprofit organization.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for distasteful
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.
Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 23 June 2025
Unfortunately, Canadians found the carbon pricing system confusing and distasteful.
—Hersh Shefrin, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
In 2021, 71% of young Americans said people should be allowed to insult the U.S. flag, which is a key indicator of support for free speech, no matter how distasteful.
—Jacob McHangama, The Conversation, 12 May 2025
There’s nothing wrong with the latter, but there is something distasteful about pursuing it under the guise of being a nonprofit organization.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for distasteful
Cite this Entry
“Distasteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distasteful. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
distasteful
adjective
dis·taste·ful
dis-ˈtāst-fəl
: causing displeasure : unpleasant, disagreeable
distastefulness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share