adj
Meaning 1
Not savory; without flavor.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
unsavory
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.
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/ʌnˈseɪv.əɹ.i/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: AH0 N S EY1 V ER0 IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Of bad taste; distasteful.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Making an activity undesirable.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 4
Disreputable, not respectable, of questionable moral character.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
Examples
- His unsavory reputation as a mobster came back to haunt him when he ran for mayor of New York.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 5
morally offensive
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- an unsavory reputation
- an unsavory scandal
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: unsavoury, offensive
Antonyms: savory
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
not pleasing in odor or taste
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: distasteful, unsavoury
Antonyms: none provided
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- English savory English unsavory From un- + savory.
Across languages
Translations
22 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: безвкусен (bezvkusen) — not savory, without flavor
- Afrikaans: onbetwisbaar — disreputable
- Afrikaans: oneerlik — disreputable
- Afrikaans: onsedelik — disreputable
- Dutch: twijfelachtig — disreputable
- Dutch: onsmakelijk — disreputable
- Finnish: hämärä — disreputable
- Finnish: epämiellyttävä — disreputable
- French: douteux — disreputable
- German: anrüchig — disreputable
- German: unappetitlich — disreputable
- Japanese: 不快 (fukai) — disreputable
- Japanese: 嫌 (iya) — disreputable
- Norwegian: smakløst — disreputable
- Polish: podejrzany — disreputable
- Portuguese: desagradável — disreputable
- Portuguese: sujo — disreputable
- Portuguese: desonroso — disreputable
- Portuguese: odioso — disreputable
- Spanish: desagradable — disreputable
- Spanish: indeseable — disreputable
- Swedish: tvivelaktig — disreputable