Unappetizing describes food that LOOKS like it will not taste good. The judgment happens through your eyes, before your mouth gets involved — grey meat, a limp sandwich, a school lunch tray, a cold pizza that has gone hard. That is the heart of the word and where it differs from tastes bad or disgusting. Unappetizing is about the appearance killing your appetite.

Unappetizing describes foodUnappetizing形容的是食物，that LOOKS like it will not taste good看起來就不好吃的樣子。The judgment happens through your eyes這個判斷是靠眼睛做出來的，before your mouth gets involved在嘴巴還沒參與之前——grey meat灰灰的肉、a limp sandwich軟趴趴的三明治、a school lunch tray學校營養午餐的餐盤、a cold pizza that has gone hard放冷變硬的披薩。That is the heart of the word這就是這個字的核心，and where it differs from tastes bad or disgusting也是它跟tastes bad或disgusting不一樣的地方。Unappetizing is about the appearanceUnappetizing講的是外觀，killing your appetite把你的食慾打消掉。

Food can be unappetizing and still be delicious — plenty of the best Taiwanese food looks alarming to a first-time visitor. Good writers use the word exactly for this gap.

Food can be unappetizing and still be delicious食物可以看起來不好吃、但其實很美味——plenty of the best Taiwanese food looks alarming to a first-time visitor很多台灣最好吃的食物在第一次來的外國人眼裡看起來很嚇人。Good writers use the word exactly for this gap好的作者就是專門為了這個落差而用這個字。

It also stretches beyond food. 'An unappetizing prospect' means a situation you do not want to face — a long meeting, a difficult conversation. Here it keeps the food flavour: the thing sits in front of you and you have no appetite for it.

It also stretches beyond food它也延伸到食物以外。'An unappetizing prospect' means'An unappetizing prospect'的意思是 a situation you do not want to face你不想面對的情況——a long meeting, a difficult conversation像是一場冗長的會議、一次困難的對話。Here it keeps the food flavour這裡還是保留著食物的味道：the thing sits in front of you那件事就擺在你面前，and you have no appetite for it而你一點胃口都沒有。

Both spellings exist: unappetizing is the American spelling and now common everywhere; unappetising with an s is British. Neither is wrong.

Both spellings exist兩種拼法都存在：unappetizing is the American spelling and now common everywhereunappetizing是美式拼法、現在到處都通用；unappetising with an s is British用s的unappetising是英式拼法。Neither is wrong兩個都沒有錯。

It is a mild, polite word. If a guest says your dish looks unappetizing, they are being careful with you — the blunt words would be much worse.

It is a mild, polite word這是個溫和、有禮貌的字。If a guest says your dish looks unappetizing如果客人說你的菜看起來unappetizing，they are being careful with you他們是在小心地照顧你的感受——the blunt words would be much worse更直接的講法會難聽得多。