palatable

palatable — 形容詞

1. (of food or drink) tasting good enough to enjoy eating or drinking, even if it i

1.形容詞C1
釋義

可口的

味道還不錯、吃得下去的食物

(of food or drink) tasting good enough to enjoy eating or drinking, even if it is not delicious — for example, a soup that is plain but still nice to swallow.

例句

Maya added a little salt and lemon to make the bland fish soup more palatable.

Maya 加了一點鹽和檸檬，讓那道平淡的魚湯變得比較可口。

make + noun + more palatable

The hospital meals were dry and cold, but the rice pudding was at least palatable.

醫院的餐點又乾又冷，不過米布丁至少還算可口。

predicative use after 'be'

同義詞
  • tasty

    more positive and informal; suggests genuinely enjoyable flavour

  • edible

    weaker — only means 'safe to eat', without saying it tastes good

  • appetizing

    stresses that the food looks or smells inviting before you taste it

反義詞
  • unpalatable

    directly opposite — tasting bad enough that eating it is unpleasant

  • inedible

    stronger — cannot be eaten at all, not just unpleasant

用法筆記

Often used to describe food that is acceptable rather than truly delicious; chefs and food writers prefer 'tasty' or 'delicious' for genuine praise. Frequently appears in the pattern 'make something (more) palatable'.

常見錯誤

❌The cake was so palatable I ate three slices.
✅The cake was so delicious I ate three slices.
💡'palatable' suggests merely acceptable, not exciting; use 'delicious' or 'tasty' for strong praise.

2. (of an idea, plan, or fact) easy enough for people to agree to or live with, eve

2.形容詞C1
釋義

可接受的

讓人比較願意接受的想法或決定

(of an idea, plan, or fact) easy enough for people to agree to or live with, even when it is not what they really want — for example, a tax rise softened by extra services.

例句

The mayor reworded the policy to make it more palatable to local business owners.

市長重新措辭那項政策，讓當地的商家比較能接受。

make + noun + more palatable to + somebody

Sharing an office with strangers was not a palatable idea for Lina.

和陌生人共用一間辦公室，對 Lina 來說並不是個能接受的想法。

predicative + 'idea' as subject complement

同義詞
  • acceptable

    broader and more neutral; 'palatable' adds the sense of being made easier to swallow

  • agreeable

    more positive — suggests people actively like it, not just tolerate it

  • tolerable

    weaker — only means 'just bearable', without the softening effort

反義詞
  • unpalatable

    hard to accept — used of unwelcome news, truths, or decisions

  • unacceptable

    stronger — cannot be agreed to at all

文法句型

palatable + to + somebody

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense never applies to food or drink. Subject is typically an idea, plan, news, or proposal. Often follows the pattern 'make X (more) palatable to Y', where Y is the person or group being persuaded.

常見錯誤

❌The new rule is palatable for the workers.
✅The new rule is palatable to the workers.
💡use the preposition 'to', not 'for', when naming the people who accept it.