INDEX:
1. a person’s judgment in choosing things like clothes, music, furniture etc
2. good taste
3. when someone has good taste
4. something that has been made or chosen with good taste
5. someone who does not have good taste
6. something that has not been made or chosen with good taste
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ STYLE/ELEGANCE
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1. a person’s judgment in choosing things like clothes, music, furniture etc
▷ taste /teɪst/ [countable/uncountable noun]
use this to talk about the kind of clothes, music, furniture etc that someone likes :
▪ I don’t think much of his taste.
taste in
▪ Tastes in fiction vary from person to person.
▪ We have similar taste in music.
be a matter of taste
it depends on your taste
▪ It’s not necessarily better or worse, it’s just a matter of taste.
there’s no accounting for taste
everyone has different taste in things
▪ I can’t understand why she likes it, but as they say, there’s no accounting for taste.
2. good taste
▷ taste/good taste /teɪst, ˌgʊd ˈteɪst/ [uncountable noun]
the ability to make good judgments about what kind of clothes, furniture etc is attractive or good :
▪ The room was furnished with style and taste.
▪ I admired their good taste in clothes.
a man/woman of taste
formal someone who has good taste
▪ Matisse said that a photograph by a man of taste could have the appearance of art.
3. when someone has good taste
▷ have taste/have good taste /hæv ˈteɪst, hæv ˌgʊd ˈteɪst/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be able to make good judgments about which clothes, furniture etc are attractive or good and which are not :
▪ Mrs Anderson has taste, and her home is lovely.
▪ The Scotch was Johnnie Walker Black. ‘This guy’s got good taste,’ I thought.
have taste/have good taste in
▪ Julie has really good taste in books.
have great/terrific/impeccable etc taste
▪ Robinson had impeccable taste.
▷ discerning /dɪˈsɜːʳnɪŋ/ [adjective usually before noun]
able to recognize things that are good or of high quality - use this especially when talking about buying things :
▪ Discerning investors will find the guide useful.
▪ You don’t have to be wealthy to develop a discerning palate. good taste in food
▷ discriminating /dɪˈskrɪmɪneɪtɪŋ, dɪˈskrɪməneɪtɪŋ/ [adjective]
able to judge what is of good quality and what is not, especially because you have a lot of knowledge or experience :
▪ As film audiences get older, they will become more discriminating.
▪ Discriminating travelers return to St. Bartholomew’s year after year.
▷ have a good eye for /hæv ə ˌgʊd ˈaɪ fɔːʳ/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be good at noticing and recognizing what is attractive, of good quality etc, and which things look good together :
▪ She has an incredibly good eye for fashion.
▪ You need to have a good eye for colour and design if you are going to decorate your own house.
4. something that has been made or chosen with good taste
▷ tasteful /ˈteɪstf ə l/ [adjective]
made or chosen with good taste :
▪ The room is filled with tasteful furnishings and original artworks.
▪ My uncle wore a flannel suit, a spotless white shirt and a tasteful but sombre tie.
tastefully [adverb]
▪ Griffiths sat behind a huge desk in a tastefully furnished office.
▪ She was always tastefully dressed.
▷ be in good taste /biː ɪn ˌgʊd ˈteɪst/ [verb phrase]
to be attractive and suitable in a way that shows good taste :
▪ Whatever she wears, you can be sure it will be in good taste, and just right for the occasion.
▪ The furniture and decor are all in the best possible taste.
5. someone who does not have good taste
▷ have bad taste /hæv ˌbæd ˈteɪst/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be unable to make good judgments about which clothes, furniture etc are attractive or good and which are not :
▪ I know it’s bad taste, but I like fluffy, lacy clothes.
have bad taste in
▪ He has really bad taste in clothes.
have terrible/awful/appalling etc taste
▪ She just has such awful taste - I don’t want her help picking out dresses.
▷ have no taste /hæv ˌnəʊ ˈteɪst/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to not have good taste :
▪ It’s unbelievable. The woman obviously has no taste at all.
6. something that has not been made or chosen with good taste
▷ tasteless /ˈteɪstləs/ [adjective]
not made or chosen with good taste :
▪ It was an ugly room with tasteless decorations and shabby furniture.
▪ I think a lot of modern architecture is completely tasteless.
▷ vulgar /ˈvʌlgəʳ/ [adjective]
not chosen with taste - use this about things that cost a lot of money or are very brightly coloured, and are bought to impress people :
▪ Vulgar fashions filled the store windows.
▪ The article describes the vulgar excesses of the newly rich.
vulgarity /vʌlˈgærɪti, vʌlˈgærəti/ [uncountable noun]
▪ He was horrified by the vulgarity of his uncle’s house.
▷ cheap /tʃiːp/ [adjective]
unattractive, of poor quality, and showing a lack of good taste :
▪ The interior of the car is all plastic and has a cheap look about it.
▪ The girls wore bright frilly dresses and were drenched in cheap perfume.
▷ naff /næf/ [adjective] British informal
use this about something that you think shows very bad taste :
▪ Most people think taking a package holiday in Bognor is really naff.
▪ Don’t wear that shirt with those slacks -- it looks naff.
▷ tacky /ˈtæki/ [adjective] informal
cheap-looking and showing very bad taste :
▪ cheap, tacky furniture in bright colors
▪ The room was decorated to look like a cartoon Swiss village, but managed to be cheerfully tacky.
▷ kitsch/kitschy /kɪtʃ, ˈkɪtʃi/ [adjective]
cheap, unfashionable, and showing very bad taste, but often in an amusing way :
▪ the kitschy decor of the Mexican restaurant
▪ Tourists lined up to buy postcards and assorted kitsch souvenirs.