20 Ways to Describe Taste

20 Words Used To Describe Specific Tastes And Flavours


taste
Pronunciation: /teɪst/
the sensation of flavour perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance
Definition (Oxford Dictionaries)

It is important to note that you can only taste four flavours with your tongue. The flavours are sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. (Some people believe there are five if you accept a fifth flavour called ‘Umami’.) Any other flavours you taste are a combination of these four flavours, or are smelled with your nose. This why you don’t enjoy food when you have a blocked nose.

As writers, we still need to know more than four words when we’re describing flavours. I found these 20 options, with meanings, that you could use in your writing.

20 Ways to Describe Taste

  1. acidic – very sour
  2. astringent – an astringent taste is one that is strong and bitter
  3. bitter – a strong sharp taste that is not sweet
  4. bitter-sweet – tasting bitter and sweet at the same time
  5. brackish – has a slight taste of salt and is therefore not pure
  6. hot – contains a lot of spices that create a burning feeling in your mouth
  7. mature – has been left to develop a pleasant strong flavour
  8. mild – does not have a strong taste
  9. ripe – has a strong flavour
  10. robust – has a lot of flavour
  11. savoury – tasting of salt or spices and not sweet
  12. seasoned – containing seasonings to improve flavour
  13. sharp – has a strong and bitter flavour
  14. sour – with a taste like a lemon
  15. spicy – has a strong hot flavour
  16. sweet-and-sour – contains both sweet and sour flavours
  17. syrupy – thick, sweet, and sticky
  18. tart – a slightly sour taste
  19. unsalted – not flavoured with salt
  20. watery – pale, or not strong

Source for words: Macmillan Dictionary/Thesaurus

Top Tip: If you want to learn how to write a book, join our Writers Write course in Johannesburg or sign up for our online course.

by Amanda Patterson

If you enjoyed this post, read:

  1. 209 Words To Describe Touch
  2. How To Write A Beginning And An Ending That Readers Will Never Forget
  3. 10 Elementary Tips For Writers From Sherlock Holmes
  4. The Daily Word Counts of 39 Famous Authors

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  • Posted on 19th January 2014
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This article has 3 comments

  1. DLK

    You forgot putrid. lol

  2. Michelle Wallace

    Great list!

  3. Brian

    Learning skill to write a book will improve the way in which we communicate be it making a speech giving a presentation or speaking to a group of people

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