unsavory

American

[uhn-sey-vuh-ree] / ʌnˈseɪ və ri /

especially British, unsavoury

adjective

not savory; tasteless or insipid.

an unsavory meal.

Synonyms:

unappetizing, flat
unpleasant in taste or smell; distasteful.
unappealing or disagreeable, as a pursuit.

Poor teachers can make education unsavory.
socially or morally objectionable or offensive.

an unsavory past; an unsavory person.

Other Word Forms

unsavorily adverb
unsavoriness noun

Etymology

Origin of unsavory

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; un- ¹, savory ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The constant Polymarket ads felt cheap and unsavory to say the least, reducing all of the stellar films nominated to fodder for basement-dwelling creeps to bet on.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026

This week: Larry Summers has stepped down from his public positions following the release of unsavory emails he exchanged with Jeffrey Epstein.

From Slate • Nov. 22, 2025

While maintaining a fragile—and heartrending—composure, Ms. Manville’s Jocasta also reveals that she was not Laius’ only victim; it is implied that he was killed while heading to some sort of unsavory assignation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

Crowe’s Dec. 6, 1973, cover story on the Allman Brothers was meant to atone for an earlier profile on the band written for the magazine by Grover Lewis, a brutally honest and often unsavory portrait.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2025

Holmes knew she had an unsavory associate named “Hatch.”

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023