Unpleasant in a way that makes you want to keep your distance — and usually the distance is moral, not physical. If you call a person unsavoury, you mean there is something dishonest or shady about them: not proven criminal, but you would not want your daughter working for him.

Unpleasant in a way that makes you want to keep your distance令人不舒服到讓你想保持距離 — and usually the distance is moral, not physical而且通常是道德上的距離，不是身體上的。If you call a person unsavoury如果你說一個人unsavoury, you mean there is something dishonest or shady about them你的意思是他身上有不老實、見不得光的地方: not proven criminal不到犯罪那麼確定, but you would not want your daughter working for him但你不會希望自己女兒替他做事。

Newspapers love this word for exactly that reason. It lets you hint at wrongdoing without naming any, so it is safe to print.

Newspapers love this word for exactly that reason報紙就是因為這個原因才愛用這個字。It lets you hint at wrongdoing without naming any它可以讓你暗示有不法情事，卻不用點名, so it is safe to print所以刊出來也安全。

You also see it about places and situations — an unsavoury bar, an unsavoury business deal, unsavoury details of a divorce case — where the sense is "the sort of thing decent people do not want to be near or hear about." The original meaning is about taste: food with no good flavour, or a bad one. That sense still exists but is rare now; almost every time you meet the word, it is about character or reputation.

You also see it about places and situations你也會看到它用在地方和場合上 — an unsavoury bar, an unsavoury business deal, unsavoury details of a divorce case像an unsavoury bar（不三不四的酒吧）、an unsavoury business deal（見不得人的生意）、unsavoury details of a divorce case（離婚案裡不堪的細節） — where the sense is "the sort of thing decent people do not want to be near or hear about."意思是『正派的人不想靠近、也不想聽到的那種事』。The original meaning is about taste這個字原本的意思跟味道有關: food with no good flavour, or a bad one指食物沒有好味道，或是味道很差。That sense still exists but is rare now這個舊義現在還在，但很少見了; almost every time you meet the word, it is about character or reputation你幾乎每次遇到這個字，都是在講人品或名聲。

It is a formal, written word. Nobody says it to your face in an argument; they say something ruder.

It is a formal, written word這是個正式的書面用字。Nobody says it to your face in an argument沒有人吵架時會當面這樣說你; they say something ruder他們會講更難聽的話。

Note the spelling: British writing uses unsavoury, American writing uses unsavory. Both are correct in their own place.

Note the spelling注意拼法: British writing uses unsavoury英式寫法用unsavoury, American writing uses unsavory美式寫法用unsavory。Both are correct in their own place兩種在各自的地方都是對的。

One more thing — it is oddly one-sided. Savoury on its own now mostly means "salty rather than sweet" (savoury snacks), so unsavoury is not really the opposite of the savoury you meet on a menu. The two words have drifted apart.

One more thing還有一件事 — it is oddly one-sided它其實有點單向、不對等。Savoury on its own now mostly means "salty rather than sweet"savoury單獨用時，現在多半是指『鹹的而不是甜的』 (savoury snacks)（像savoury snacks鹹口味點心）, so unsavoury is not really the opposite of the savoury you meet on a menu所以unsavoury其實不是菜單上那個savoury的反義詞。The two words have drifted apart這兩個字已經各走各的路了。