salty

adjective

USSAWL-tee/sɔl.ti/UKSOL-tee/ˈsɒl.ti/

6 meanings of salty

1
adjective
Having the taste of salt.
Like the taste of seawater on your lips after a swim.
The soup was too salty for me to finish.
Salty crackers always make me thirsty.
Similarbriny, saline, salted
Oppositeunsalted, bland
Note
2
adjective
Having salt in it or mixed with salt.
Like ocean water, which has a lot of salt in it.
Salty water is not safe to drink.
Road crews spread salty grit across the icy bridge.
Similarsaline, briny, brackish
Oppositefresh
Note
3
adjectiveslang
Upset, annoyed, or bitter, often about something small.
Like someone in a bad mood because things didn't go their way.
He got salty after losing the game.
Don't be so salty just because she won.
Similarbitter, sore, annoyed, irritated, upset
Note
4
adjectivefiguratively
Rough, bold, and a little rude, especially in humor or language.
Like a joke that's a bit rude but still makes you laugh.
Grandpa told some salty jokes at dinner.
The comedian's salty humor had the whole room laughing.
Similarracy, bawdy, earthy, ribald, spicy
Oppositeclean, prim, genteel
Note
5
adjectivefiguratively
Having a lot of experience, especially as an old sailor.
Like an old sailor who has spent years out on the sea.
The salty old captain knew every trick on the water.
She's a salty veteran who has seen it all at sea.
Similarseasoned, experienced, veteran, weathered, grizzled
Oppositegreen, inexperienced, raw
Note
6
adjective
About Sardinian and the Catalan of Spain's islands and coast, where 'the' comes from a Latin word meaning 'self'.
My grandmother in Mallorca still speaks a salty dialect of Catalan.
The salty dialects sound different from standard Catalan.
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of salty apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Middle English salti, made from salt plus the ending -y.