distasteful
UK: dɪsˈteɪst.fəl | US: dɪsˈteɪst.fəl
adj. causing dislike or aversion; unpleasant or offensive
adj. lacking flavor or appeal (archaic)
The word "distasteful" combines the prefix dis- (indicating negation or reversal, from Latin dis-), the root taste (from Old French taster, meaning "to try or perceive flavor"), and the suffix -ful (Old English -full, meaning "full of"). Originally, it described something literally lacking flavor (16th century), but by the 17th century, it evolved to metaphorically express moral or aesthetic offensiveness. The shift reflects how sensory language often extends to abstract judgments.
His distasteful remarks offended everyone at the meeting.
The medicine had a distasteful bitterness that made it hard to swallow.
She found the movie’s violence deeply distasteful.
The dish was distasteful, lacking any seasoning.
Politicians should avoid distasteful comparisons in debates.