unsavory

English

Alternative forms

• unsavoury (UK)

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.

Collocations

with nouns

• unsavory reputation
• unsavory character
• unsavory aspect
• unsavory element
• unsavory practice
• unsavory friend
• unsavory tactics
• unsavory food

Translations

disreputable

• Afrikaans: onbetwisbaar, oneerlik, onsedelik
• Dutch: twijfelachtig (nl), onsmakelijk (nl)
• Finnish: hämärä (fi), epämiellyttävä (fi)
• 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)
• Swedish: tvivelaktig (sv)