unsavory
29
7.2
- adjective
- /ʌnˈseɪvəri/
- US
:
turbio
- You may be forced to double up in your hotel room with unsavory strangers and sleep in shifts.
- an unsavory regime
- an unsavory character
- an unsavory environment
He's, you know, you know, got all sorts of unsavory practices going on.
- He's, you know, you know, got all sorts of unsavory practices going on.
- But yes, this very sheltered Princess goes on a mission to try and save her sister from unsavory marriage.
- And, and then I, I talked to various Satanists of various stripes and I found them to be kind of an unsavory group.
- I find this to be unsettling, upsetting, unsavoury, absurd and frankly annoying.
- When they are unemployed, when they may commit a crime or when they are considered unsavory, It's the African immigrants.
Examples
-
Neither of us wants people of unsavory character to get into this part of the world.
Academic text (2000) -
You just keep showing up in these unsavory places.
-
I know some very unsavory people!
-
And it got associated with all these sort of unsavory elements of urban life.
-
Your Honor, a lot has been said here today about how unsavory Mr. Roberts' environment is for a child.
-
Peters turned out to be an unsavory character to say the least.
-
I think we've learned that the neighborhood has made some progress, but there's still an unsavory element, so I think this would make everybody feel just a little bit safer.
-
The committee decided to avoid discussing the unsavory rumors circulating about the candidate.
-
She distanced herself from the unsavory dealings of her former business partner.
-
His unsavory behavior during the event made everyone uncomfortable.
Synonyms
531
1.3
Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making you feel sick
280
2.3
Very unpleasant and making you feel sick or disgusted
261
4.0
Likely to make people angry or upset
215
1.0
Not nice and causing discomfort or unhappiness
157
5.0
Very bad and morally wrong
95
5.7
Very bad in a way that makes people feel strong dislike and disgust
86
4.1
A person or action that is very bad and dishonest
59
5.5
Causing strong dislike or disgust, like a very bad smell
42
7.8
Very unpleasant and morally wrong to most people
33
7.8
Not proper or polite for a situation
31
6.7
Causing people to feel offended or want to protest
31
4.6
Not wanted because it is unpleasant, harmful, or causes problems
30
4.6
Something that makes people feel dislike or disgust
24
7.2
Very bad or morally wrong so people strongly dislike it
23
7.7
Causing strong dislike or disgust because people see it as morally wrong
21
7.2
Morally wrong because it goes against religious rules
21
7.3
Morally wrong, especially when it breaks religious rules
20
8.2
Very unpleasant and likely to make people feel strong dislike
20
7.7
Causing strong disgust or hatred in people
20
5.4
Deserves strong blame or dislike
16
8.9
Not proper or polite and likely to cause trouble
9
7.4
Tastes bad or is hard to accept
9
6.5
Very unpleasant and causing people to feel strong dislike or hate
6
4.9
Very unpleasant and likely to make you feel disgusted
5
6.1
Causing strong dislike or disgust
4
9.5
Very bad and unpleasant, causing strong dislike
4
6.3
Harmful to health or to how someone behaves
Wrong or bad because it goes against accepted ideas of right and wrong
Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making people feel sick
Very unpleasant and likely to make people feel disgusted
Antonyms
How Offensive
24
7.2
- Formal
50
7.9
- US
29
7.2
176
3.9
477
2.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Unsavory comes from un- 'not' and savory (from savour 'taste'), so it originally meant 'not tasty'. That idea of a 'bad taste' became a picture for people or actions that seem wrong or unacceptable, which is why unsavory now means morally unpleasant.