Standard Lemma guide

unpalatable

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N P AE1 L AH0 T AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Unpleasant to the taste.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Unpleasant or disagreeable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Anything distasteful.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

not pleasant or acceptable to the taste or mind

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an unpalatable meal
  • unpalatable truths
  • unpalatable behavior

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: palatable

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- Proto-Indo-European *pleth2-? Proto-Indo-European *pel-? Proto-Indo-European *pleh2-osder. Latin palātumder. Old French palatbor. Middle English palate English palate Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dhlom Proto-Indo-European *-dhlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English palatable English unpalatable From un- + palatable.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bashkir: тәмһеҙ (təmheź) — unpleasant to the taste
  • Belarusian: нясма́чны (njasmáčny) — unpleasant to the taste
  • Bulgarian: неапетитен (neapetiten) — unpleasant to the taste
  • Chinese Mandarin: 難吃 /难吃 (nánchī) — unpleasant to the taste
  • Czech: nedobrý — unpleasant to the taste
  • Dutch: onsmakelijk — unpleasant to the taste
  • Finnish: pahanmakuinen — unpleasant to the taste
  • French: dégoutant — unpleasant to the taste
  • French: peu appétissant — unpleasant to the taste
  • German: geschmacklos — unpleasant to the taste
  • German: unappetitlich — unpleasant to the taste
  • Hungarian: rossz ízű — unpleasant to the taste
  • Italian: sgradevole — unpleasant to the taste
  • Māori: kōtuhi — unpleasant to the taste
  • Mongolian: амтгүй (amtgüj) — unpleasant to the taste
  • Polish: niesmaczny — unpleasant to the taste
  • Russian: невку́сный (nevkúsnyj) — unpleasant to the taste
  • Spanish: desagradable — unpleasant to the taste
  • Spanish: incomible — unpleasant to the taste
  • Spanish: intragable — unpleasant to the taste
  • Spanish: no paladeable — unpleasant to the taste
  • Spanish: poco paladeable — unpleasant to the taste
  • Spanish: nada paladeable — unpleasant to the taste
  • Swedish: oaptitlig — unpleasant to the taste
  • Ukrainian: несмачни́й (nesmačnýj) — unpleasant to the taste
  • Dutch: onaangenaam — (by extension) unpleasant or disagreeable
  • French: désagréable — (by extension) unpleasant or disagreeable
  • German: unangenehm — (by extension) unpleasant or disagreeable
  • German: abstoßend — (by extension) unpleasant or disagreeable
  • German: widerwärtig — (by extension) unpleasant or disagreeable