Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PALATABLE

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connect this word to others: Let's gather up some words for things that stimulate, and please, the five senses: 1. Something visible can be seen, and something nice to see is beautiful. 2. Something audible can be heard, and something nice to hear is eu___nious. 3. Something edible can be eaten, and something nice to eat is palatable. 4. Something p___able, or something t__gible, can be touched, or, it seems real enough to touch. If you know of a word that means "nice to touch," please share it with me! The closest I could get was ergonomic, or else, something too specific, like soft or silken, which is what I assume all those shampoo commercials mean when they say touchable. 5. Something ol____ible can be smelled, or it seems real enough to be smelled. And, something nice to smell is re___ent, or it "smells" like something, meaning it reminds you of it. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "PALATABLE" The palate is the roof of the mouth, or the sense of taste. So, something palatable tastes okay (or even good) to the person who's eating or drinking it. And, your palate for something can also be your "taste" for it: your liking for it, or your preference for it. "After reading way too many of those Nicholas Sparks books, I lost my palate for them." Speaking figuratively, then, something palatable seems okay (or even good) to the person who's experiencing it. "If I'm in a lazy, dreamy mood, then I might find Nicholas Sparks books palatable." Pronunciation: PAL it uh bull Part of speech: Adjective: "the show Peppa Pig is palatable only to toddlers," "she needed to make herself more palatable to older voters." Other forms worth knowing: palate(s); palatably; palatableness, or, my preference: palatability; unpalatable; unpalatably; unpalatability How to use it:  It's not exactly a compliment to say that something is palatable: it means that it's good enough, it's acceptable, it's alright, it's just okay, it'll do, we can deal with it. If something is palatable, then it meets the bare minimum of whatever standards we've set. You talk about things (or even people) being palatable to whoever has to deal with them or experience them. For example, the price of a product has to be palatable to the consumers, and so does the product's name, or else they won't buy it. A certain process or method has to be palatable to the people using it, or else they won't use it. A certain idea or issue has to be palatable to the people it affects, or else they won't face it or talk about it. And a video clip or a television show has to be palatable to the viewers, or else they won't watch it. As Steve Stockman says in How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck, "the opposite of 'good' is 'off.'" Stockman's quip notwithstanding, palatability is often a matter of degree, and so we often talk about making or rendering something more palatable; or about helping some product, message, action, or decision seem more palatable to people, etc. And we often talk about tastes, needs, goals, changes, preferences, and situations that render things less palatable. Now, if you're extra-picky about words, then you'll avoid saying that something "looks," "sounds," or "feels" palatable, since palatable things appeal to the mind's sense of taste rather than its sight, hearing, or sense of touch. Stick with the word "seems" instead, which covers all the senses--or, avoid the issue altogether by rewording. That is, instead of saying "His comedy routine sounds palatable after a few drinks," say "His comedy routine seems palatable after a few drinks" or "A few drinks render his comedy routine palatable." examples: "The trailers for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel seem a lot more palatable than those for the first reboot. This new trailer makes it seem like a somewhat self-aware and goofy if still often facepalm-worthy romp."    — Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge, 6 May 2016 "The first ingredient in this [meatless nugget] product is something called 'mycoprotein,' which is a more palatable moniker for 'fungal protein.'"    — Emily Heil, The Washington Post, 28 October 2019 has this page helped you understand "palatable"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "palatable" without saying "goes down easily" or "leaves an okay taste in your mouth." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "I'd find _____ more palatable if _____." Example: "I'd find air travel more palatable if everyone could keep their shoes on. Ew." If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we're playing "What's the Word?" On Reddit, r/whatstheword is a community of about 55,000 members: folks who gather to help each other out when they can't think of a particular word. "It's on the tip of my tongue," they say. Or, "This word might not even exist. Help!" In each issue this month, check out a post from the community, and see if you can come up with the word or phrase in question. We'll work our way from relatively easy to extremely hard questions as the month goes on. From the previous issue: A community member asked, "What's the word for a blindness the creator of something can have regarding how well others understand their creation? This one's a bit nebulous. Do you remember in English class in grade school when your teacher would tell you to have someone else read your essay, not to check for spelling or grammar but simply to see all the information you thought you put in there was actually in there? When we write we know exactly what we are trying to get across, but did we actually get it across? Sometimes we understand something so well that we leave out important details because they are obvious to us. But they won't necessarily be to other people. Often this happens with technology, as well. A person can make a very complicated product and think it is easy because THEY understand it. Is there a word for this?" Answer: This problem is known as "the curse of expertise," or "expert blindness." Try this today: A community member asked, "What's the word for the opposite side of the spine of a book? You have the 'cover,' the 'back,' the 'spine,' and the...um...what?" I'll share the answer in the upcoming issue, but if you can't wait, you can view the whole original thread here. review this word: 1. The exact opposite of PALATABLE is UNPALATABLE. But a near opposite of PALATABLE is A. DISTASTEFUL. B. DISTRACTING. C. DISAPPOINTING. 2. The _____ is just palatable enough to prevent kids from _____. A. cough syrup .. spitting it out B. helmet .. getting concussions C. press-and-turn cap .. opening it  1. A 2. A a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.