distasteful

adjective

dis·​taste·​ful (ˌ)dis-ˈtāst-fəl How to pronounce distasteful (audio)
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 retrospectRichard Sandza et al.
2
: unpleasant to the taste
distasteful unripe fruit
distastefully adverb
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
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.
Think of the tragic story of Harambe the gorilla, which challenged the premise of zoos and then became a distasteful meme. Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 15 Feb. 2025 Zoom in: One idea establishment House Republicans find particularly distasteful is making Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) the chair of the House Rules Committee. Andrew Solender, Axios, 2 Jan. 2025 One former employee of UnitedHealthcare described seeing glib, distasteful messages about Mr. Thompson’s death even in a Facebook group composed largely of people who work in the industry. Reed Abelson, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2024 Fans were quick to call out Kardashian, 44, and point out the distasteful timing of these promotions, especially as people's homes were being destroyed by the flames. Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for distasteful 

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of distasteful was in 1607

Dictionary Entries Near distasteful

Cite this Entry

“Distasteful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distasteful. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

distasteful

adjective
dis·​taste·​ful dis-ˈtāst-fəl How to pronounce distasteful (audio)
: causing displeasure : unpleasant, disagreeable
distastefully adverb
distastefulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on distasteful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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