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
The beautiful game has all too often been marred by unsavory incidents of bigotry.
—
Hannah Ryan, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
What follows is an unexpected morality play surrounding not only the complications of bringing Rajesh’s actions to light, but also Maitri’s unsavory methods that sparked this violent eruption, which rest on her bringing harm to another, equally vulnerable woman.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 June 2025
Walters had a friendship with unsavory lawyer Roy Cohn, who pulled strings to make her father’s tax problems go away.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
Nicole, for one, had a history of being accused of unsavory business practices.
—John McDermott, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsavory
Hannah Ryan, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
What follows is an unexpected morality play surrounding not only the complications of bringing Rajesh’s actions to light, but also Maitri’s unsavory methods that sparked this violent eruption, which rest on her bringing harm to another, equally vulnerable woman.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 June 2025
Walters had a friendship with unsavory lawyer Roy Cohn, who pulled strings to make her father’s tax problems go away.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
Nicole, for one, had a history of being accused of unsavory business practices.
—John McDermott, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsavory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsavory
Adjective
-
As Kelli storms off, Brit yells the distasteful comment about Kelli’s abortions, following it up by calling her a hobbit, and the rest of the women reflexively gasp, knowing how low of a blow such a statement is.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
23 June 2025
-
Unfortunately, Canadians found the carbon pricing system confusing and distasteful.—
Hersh Shefrin,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Mann Act, also known as the White-Slave Traffic Act of 1910, is a federal law that prohibits the interstate or foreign transportation of individuals for prostitution or other immoral activities.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
3 July 2025
-
Swaggart, in July 1986, had accused a megachurch rival, New Orleans First Assembly of God Pastor Marvin Gorman, of committing immoral acts with a number of women over a period of years.—
Frank E. Lockwood,
Arkansas Online,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
But many of the Blues’ outings have been unpleasant because of high temperatures and storms, and six games across the tournament have been paused for poor weather conditions, angering manager Enzo Maresca.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
8 July 2025
-
My other wildlife standoff involved a much cuter animal, but potentially far more unpleasant.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 July 2025
Adjective
-
The bland Ballade is a lesser score by the late 19th and early 20th century British composer who deserves a revival for his more substantial works.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
-
In both vehicles he was played by George Reeves, polite, bland and not noticeably muscled.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Once again, TikTok has convinced me to try something that seems unappetizing.—
Ashia Aubourg,
Outside Online,
5 July 2025
-
Many of the comments complain about how unappetizing the meal looks in the video.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In a brief unsigned opinion, the Supreme Court said that the injunction issued by the district court was based on its view that Mr. Trump's executive order and directives from the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management implementing that action are unlawful.—
July 8,
CBS News,
8 July 2025
-
The dad was charged with violating his probation, parental kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to the news release.—
Kate Linderman
July 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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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The Series 10 is also thinner, lighter, easier to wear, and charges faster than previous models.—
Adrienne So,
Wired News,
12 July 2025
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Often, the first real cracks appear in prime borrowers who were stretched thin, quietly falling behind while headlines focus on everything else.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsavory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsavory. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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