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.

2

: unpleasant to the taste

distasteful unripe fruit

distastefully

(ˌ)dis-ˈtāst-fə-lē 

adverb

distastefulness noun

Synonyms

• brackish
• unappetizing
• unpalatable
• unsavory
• yucky
• yukky

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

Those choices seem even more baffling and distasteful after watching this documentary, which shows the real Lyle breaking down with shame on the witness stand over his abuse of Erik. —Jen Chaney, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2024

The performance of the big meal is done, the mood has relaxed, the more distasteful guests are long gone. —Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2024

At the turn of the 21st century, this tradition reached its distasteful peak. —Meg Walters, Glamour, 20 Nov. 2024

Second, the refusal to see how profoundly distasteful so much of modern liberalism has become to so much of America. —Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

distasteful

adjective

dis·​taste·​ful dis-ˈtāst-fəl 

: causing displeasure : unpleasant, disagreeable

distastefully

-fə-lē 

adverb

distastefulness noun