tasty

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈteɪsti/^[1]

Etymology

It is from English taste + -y.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pleasing to the taste, savoury: before 1617 in the OED;^[2] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1603 and Etymonline to the 1610s.^[5][3]

Semantic evolution

From taste in the sense of discernment it also meant tasteful or elegant from 1762, in Goldsmith,^[2][3] now rare;^[2] slang used it of a well-dressed person from 1788.^[6] Figuratively it meant pleasant or attractive from 1796,^[2] and Merriam-Webster notes the sense of something interesting, especially by being risqué, as in tasty gossip.^[5] In British slang a bit tasty has meant good at fighting since 1974.^[2] Tastesome with the same sense is from the 1590s.^[3]

Timeline

• a. 1617 – pleasing to the taste.^[2]
• 1762 – tasteful, elegant (now rare).^[2]
• 1796 – pleasant, attractive.^[2]
• 1974 – good at fighting (British slang).^[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Having a pleasant flavour; savoury.
2. (informal) Interesting, especially by being slightly risqué: tasty gossip.
3. (British informal) Skilful or impressive; in slang, good at fighting.
4. (British informal) Attractive, used chiefly by men of women.

Word family

• tastily
• tastiness

Related words

• taste
• tasteful

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com