All words

unsavory

Meaning

Morally objectionable or unpleasant to the taste or smell.

Examples by difficulty

Basic: Simple, everyday vocabulary — the easiest to read.

The alley air hung heavy, a thick, unsavory mix of rotting food and something worse. He held his breath, trying to ignore the bad smell and the dark feeling it gave him, like something truly wrong had happened there.

The alley smelled of rotten garbage and something else, something unsavory that made her stomach churn. A man with a shifty look was selling questionable trinkets there, his smile not reaching his cold eyes. She hurried past, wanting nothing to do with the place or him.

The old basement air was thick and damp, carrying an unsavory smell that made my stomach clench. It wasn't just old dust; something rotten had been there, a trace of an unpleasant, morally wrong act. I quickly shut the door.

The old gym sock, forgotten in the locker for weeks, had developed a truly unsavory smell. It wasn't just a little stinky; it was a smell that made you want to gag, morally objectionable to your nose.

The llama farmer found the fermented yak butter, a local delicacy, quite unsavory. Its smell was like old socks left in a swamp, and the taste? Imagine chewing on a fuzzy pickle that's been licked by a badger.

Normal: Standard, everyday language.

The street corner smelled of stale beer and something truly unsavory. He'd heard rumors about the people who hung around there, and the look in their eyes confirmed it. It felt wrong to even be standing so close.

The old cannery's lingering aroma was truly unsavory, a potent mix of decaying fish and industrial runoff. Every breath felt like swallowing something rotten, a grim reminder of the business's ethically questionable practices and its foul odor.

The old fishing trawler reeked of brine and something far more unsavory, a decay that clung to the air like a shroud. The captain, with his grimy hands and shifty eyes, offered a drink from a chipped mug, and the smell of the liquid was just as unpleasant, making your stomach churn.

The diner's mystery meatloaf had an unsavory aroma, a potent blend of old gym socks and questionable life choices. I took a tentative bite, and my taste buds staged a dramatic protest, declaring it less food and more a dare.

Bartholomew accidentally sampled his pet ferret's "special treat," a concoction of fermented anchovies and questionable swamp moss. The resulting taste was profoundly unsavory, a pungent assault on his taste buds that made his eyes water and his stomach stage a dramatic protest.

Advanced: Richer vocabulary that stretches an upper-level reader.

The alley reeked of something truly unsavory, a mix of rotting garbage and stale beer that made his stomach churn. He knew he shouldn't have taken this job, but the money was too good, despite the morally objectionable nature of his client.

The air in the abandoned observatory was thick with an unsavory odor, a mix of decay and something acrid that made you want to gag. He knew the scientist responsible for this place had made some morally objectionable choices to fund his research, and the smell was just the foul residue.

The reeking bilge water, a swirling, unsavory mess, sloshed against the hull. Its acrid odor made the sailors gag, a potent reminder of the ship's grim, unsanitary conditions below decks.

The aroma wafting from Bartholomew's sock drawer was truly unsavory, a pungent bouquet that could curdle milk and inspire existential dread. Even the bravest of mice packed their tiny bags and fled his apartment, unable to stomach such a morally objectionable olfactory assault.

The retired badger tamer's prized collection of fermented bog weeds emitted an unsavory aroma, a pungent testament to their thirty-year maturation process. He claimed the smell was integral to the experience, like a truly vintage cheddar that could curdle milk at fifty paces, but his guests generally opted for the hallway.

Challenging: Rare, high-register vocabulary for serious word lovers.

The alley reeked with an unsavory odor, a mixture of decay and stale refuse. He recoiled from the sheer unpleasantness, the very air thick with something morally reprehensible, like the lingering scent of a wicked deed.

The persistent, unsavory odor emanating from the abandoned alchemist's laboratory clung to everything, a palpable testament to the lingering, morally objectionable experiments conducted within. It was a smell that curdled the stomach, even before one considered the grim implications of the viscous, dark puddles.

The acrid stench from the reprocessing plant was undeniably unsavory, a visceral reminder of the community's clandestine dealings with hazardous industrial effluvia. It clung to the air, a tangible testament to morally objectionable practices, a repellent that no amount of artificial pleasantness could mask.

The aroma emanating from Bartholomew's neglected terrarium was positively unsavory, a pungent amalgamation of forgotten cricket husks and something vaguely sulfuric, making even his most ardent admirers recoil with expressions akin to mild apoplexy.

The aroma emanating from Bartholomew's pet dodo, Bartholomew Jr., was decidedly unsavory, a pungent mélange of fermented dung beetles and existential dread that made even the bravest houseguest recoil.

Difficulty

Normal — Everyday words worth reinforcing.

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