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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsavory
In the pitch, the unsavory characters keeping the animals in captivity get their just desserts when these ultimate predators break free and team up for revenge.
—
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2025
In those days the Everglades were seen as Florida’s ghastly backyard, a region of fearsome reptiles and unsavory characters.
—Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 17 Mar. 2025
Dab, buff, polish, and voila! Cell Phones Scratches, germs, bacteria, skin cells...so many unsavory things are being carted around on our cell phones.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 17 Mar. 2025
In the English dub of Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, Pattinson lends the heron an unsavory croak.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsavory
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2025
In those days the Everglades were seen as Florida’s ghastly backyard, a region of fearsome reptiles and unsavory characters.
—Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 17 Mar. 2025
Dab, buff, polish, and voila! Cell Phones Scratches, germs, bacteria, skin cells...so many unsavory things are being carted around on our cell phones.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 17 Mar. 2025
In the English dub of Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, Pattinson lends the heron an unsavory croak.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsavory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsavory
Adjective
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That might be because the first task for a CDU government would be forming a coalition, a process requiring grueling negotiations with left-wing parties because the party vows not to work with the AfD, finding their second-place rivals too distasteful for cooperation.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
22 Feb. 2025
-
There will be times where his style is ignorant or distasteful.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Trump’s contrived veneer is being ripped away to reveal an immoral, mendacious, transactional opportunist, without a shred of loyalty to anyone or anything but himself.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2025
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Before these studies, the cause of TB was presumed to be primarily constitutional, by either an inherent predisposition or from unhealthy or immoral lifestyles.—
Karen Dobos,
The Conversation,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This is notable, given that post-Covid brick and mortar shopping has generally become so unpleasant, it’s given rise to the need for a personal shopper.—
Jennifer Leigh Parker,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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Less a song than a gag, every individual element is unpleasant: single-entendre lyrics; vocals and synths that aren’t even in the same key; and the less said about Space Cowboy’s guest verse, the better.—
Kristen S. Hé,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The new Snow White represents progressive mediocrity — the antagonism between Snow White and her evil stepmother (Gal Gadot) is bland and uninteresting after the remarkable modern version White as Snow that starred Lou de Laâge and Isabelle Huppert.—
Armond White,
National Review,
26 Mar. 2025
-
The whodunit's central mystery is also half-baked: the death of Wynter is as bland as Esposito's character is in flashbacks.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA TODAY,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
-
He was charged with unlawful restraint and domestic battery.—
Clifford Ward,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Sullivan was arrested on charges of first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
Fox News,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Staying hydrated helps thin mucus and clear congestion.6 Adults should aim to drink between 9 and 13 cups of fluids daily.—
Rachael Zimlich, BSN, RN,
Verywell Health,
26 Mar. 2025
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The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsavory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsavory. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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