unpalatable
UK: ʌnˈpælətəbl | US: ʌnˈpælətəbl
adj. not pleasant to taste
adj. difficult to accept or tolerate (often used metaphorically)
unpalatable = un<not> + palat<taste> + able<capable of>
- un<not>: A prefix of negation, from Old English un-, meaning "not."
- palat<taste>: Derived from Latin palatum (roof of the mouth, taste), later extended to mean "sense of taste."
- able<capable of>: A suffix from Latin -abilis, indicating capacity or suitability.
Etymology Origin:
The word unpalatable combines the negative prefix un- with palatable, which originates from the Latin palatum (referring to the roof of the mouth and, by extension, taste). Over time, palatable evolved to describe something agreeable to taste, while unpalatable emerged as its opposite—literally "not tasty" or metaphorically "hard to accept." The suffix -able reinforces the idea of capability, making the term imply "incapable of being pleasing (to taste or mind)."
The soup was unpalatable due to excessive salt.
His harsh criticism made the truth unpalatable.
The proposed budget cuts were unpalatable to the public.
Some medicines are unpalatable but necessary.
The idea of working overtime was unpalatable to the team.