What does unsavoriness mean?
Unsavoriness is a noun meaning unpleasantness or objectionable quality, especially when used figuratively to describe immoral, corrupt, or deeply distasteful conduct. Its wording can sound formal, old-fashioned, or deliberately severe, so writers often use the more familiar adjective unsavory instead: a person may have an unsavory reputation, while a report may expose the unsavoriness of an organization’s actions. The word can also describe an unpleasant smell or taste, although that literal sense is much less frequent in modern usage. It is useful when a situation or institution is objectionable as a whole and the writer wants to name that quality directly rather than merely call it bad or improper. The term often carries a strong moral judgment and is stronger and more censorious than the neutral terms objectionableness or inappropriateness.
nounThe quality of being unpleasant, objectionable, or distasteful, especially in a moral or social sense. It can also refer literally to an unpleasant taste or smell.
- The quality of being morally or socially objectionable, distasteful, or corrupt.
- The quality of having an unpleasant taste or smell.
"The investigation revealed the unsavoriness of the allegations against the company."
"The newspaper attempted to disguise the unsavoriness of the scandal."
"A faint unsavoriness in the sauce suggested that it had not been stored properly."
This plural is rare; unsavoriness is normally used as an uncountable noun.
"The novel explores the different unsavorinesses of public life."
Unsavoriness began as a description of food and became a sharp moral judgment about people, conduct, and institutions.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unsavoriness come from?
Unsavoriness is formed from the English noun savor or savour, meaning taste or relish, together with the negative prefix un- and the suffix -iness. Savor ultimately derives from Latin sapor, meaning taste or flavor. In the figurative sense, unsavoriness developed by extension from what is unpleasant to eat into what is morally distasteful or objectionable.
How unsavoriness is actually used
The word is less common in everyday speech than the adjective unsavory. Its figurative moral sense is generally formal or literary, while the literal sense referring to taste or smell is relatively uncommon.
Easily confused with unsavoriness
Unsavoriness is the noun naming an objectionable quality, whereas unsavory is the adjective describing something unpleasant, distasteful, or morally objectionable.