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unsavory. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
unsavory, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
unsavory in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
unsavory you have here. The definition of the word
unsavory will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
unsavory, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From un- + savory.
Pronunciation
Adjective
unsavory (comparative more unsavory, superlative most unsavory) (American spelling)
- Not savory; without flavor.
- Of bad taste; distasteful.
- Making an activity undesirable.
- Disreputable, not respectable, of questionable moral character.
His unsavory reputation as a mobster came back to haunt him when he ran for mayor of New York.
2009 January 22, Morris Fish, “R. v. Khela, 2009 SCC 4”, in CanLII, retrieved 18 March 2025:The case against Khela rested primarily on the testimony of two unsavoury witnesses, had lengthy criminal records and [...] were members of a prison-based gang.
Collocations
with nouns
- unsavory reputation
- unsavory character
- unsavory aspect
- unsavory element
- unsavory practice
- unsavory friend
- unsavory tactics
- unsavory food
- unsavory witness
Translations
disreputable
- Afrikaans: onbetwisbaar, oneerlik, onsedelik
- Dutch: twijfelachtig (nl), onsmakelijk (nl)
- Finnish: hämärä (fi), epämiellyttävä (fi)
- French: douteux (fr)
- German: anrüchig (de), unappetitlich (de)
- Japanese: 不快 (ja) (ふかい, fukai), 嫌 (ja) (いや, iya)
- Norwegian: smakløst
- Polish: podejrzany (pl)
- Portuguese: desagradável (pt), sujo (pt), desonroso, odioso (pt)
- Spanish: desagradable (es), indeseable (es)
- Swedish: tvivelaktig (sv)
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