unsavory

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English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From un- +‎ savory.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʌnˈseɪv.əɹ.i/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Adjective

unsavory (comparative more unsavory, superlative most unsavory) (American spelling)

  1. Not savory; without flavor.
  2. Of bad taste; distasteful.
  3. Making an activity undesirable.
  4. 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

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