Dictionary

salty en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio
• /ˈsɔːlti/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈsɔlti/ (US) without the cot–caught merger
• /sɑlti/ (US, cot-caught-merger)
• /ˈsɒlti/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈsɔlte/ (Scotland)

Etymology

PIE word *sḗh₂l Inherited from Middle English salti. Equivalent to salt + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian soaltig (“salty”), West Frisian sâltich (“salty”), Dutch zoutig (“salty”), German Low German soltig (“salty”), German salzig (“salty”). (coarse; irritated, annoyed): Referencing the sharp, 'spicy' flavor of salt. (indignant): Perhaps implying the person is a crybaby, shedding salty tears, or derived from the preceding.

Meanings

1. Tasting of salt.
   • A few types of molecules get sensed by receptors on the tongue. Protons coming off of acids ping receptors for "sour." Sugars get received as "sweet." Bitter, salty, and the proteinaceous flavor umami all set off their own neural cascades. 2018 May 16, Adam Rogers, “The Fundamental Nihilism of Yanny vs. Laurel”, in Wired:
2. Containing salt.
   • At Zipaquirá, the salty ore is taken from the mine in chunks, then thrown into large tanks of water, where the salt is dissolved out. The resulting brine is drawn off into pipelines, containers, or tank trucks and sold […] 1957, Americas (English Ed.):
   • My job was to couple the dumpers, full or empty, then uncouple them at the main shaft, and to open and close the weather door on the trip to the roof galleries, where the salty ore was dynamited and broken down. 2008, Günter Grass, translated by Michael Henry Heim, Peeling the Onion, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 223:
3. (figuratively, of language) Coarse; provocative; earthy.
   • In the following piece she has some characteristically salty things to say about what happens when law and medicine meet. 1962, William Henry Davenport, The Good Physician: A Treasury of Medicine:
   • Sometimes hosts are a little saltier when the cameras aren’t rolling, but I don’t recall ever hearing any daylight between the views they express on-air and off. 2023 February 17, Michelle Goldberg, “What Fox News Says When You’re Not Listening”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
   • (In characteristically salty fashion, Sara admits: “I was no doubt a horrible little bitch" at this age.) 2010, R. Tripp Evans, Grant Wood: A Life, Knopf, →ISBN, page 201:
   • The court might have been tempted to construe the First Amendment as too momentous — too consequential — to vindicate a disappointed teenager’s salty outburst after being cut from the varsity cheer squad. 2021 June 24, Justin Driver, “A Cheerleader Lands an F on Snapchat, but a B+ in Court”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
4. (figuratively) Experienced, especially used to indicate a veteran of the naval services; salty dog (from salt of the sea).
   • There's a sailor's tavern at the end of the street where I could find companionship if I chose (one catches salty boys going in and out at any hour) but only music matters to me now. 2004, David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas, London: Sceptre (Hodder and Stoughton), →ISBN:
   • Plus bits of business involving a salty Russian seafarer and overflying warplanes. 2015 March 12, Bill Mann, “The film that makes me cry: Local Hero”, in The Guardian:
5. (slang) Irritated, annoyed, angry, bitter.
   • "I regret being salty and bitchy towards you most of the time. Yesterday's offence is unforgivable, but can you forgive me for the day-to-day bickering in the past?” “Would you even care? Especially if you had not been caught outright[…]" 2021, SB Akshobhya, The Panipuri Crimes, Sristhi Publishers & Distributors, →ISBN:
   • I want to beg your pardon for making you salty that night. 1969, Iceberg Slim, Pimp: The Story of My Life, Holloway House Publishing, page 162:
   • Misery can make you blame everybody else for your salty attitude. You think people just don't get where you're coming from. How can so many people be so stupid, you think. Well, your misery is very likely self-inflicted. 2004, J. Ransom, Colla'd Greens Fuh-ya Soul, →ISBN, page 39:
   • Ray and Fuzzy were salty with our unhip no-playing piano player, because she broke time on the piano so bad that the strings yelled whoa to the hammers. 1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “They Found the Body in a Ditch”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 2 (1923–1928: Chicago, Chicago), page 61:
6. Pertaining to the Sardinian language and those dialects of Catalan, spoken in the Balearic Islands and along the coast of Catalonia, that use definitive articles descended from the Latin ipse (“self”) instead of the Latin ille (“that”).

Forms

Antonyms

nonsalty · nonsalt · nonsaline · unsalty

Coordinates

saltyback (irritated attitude)

Deriveds

salty licorice (taste) · saltyish · unsalty · supersalty · saltiness (other) · salty plum · saltiness (taste) · nonsalty · salty liquorice (taste) · salty dog (experienced sailor) · salty tooth (other) · jump salty (other) · saltily (other) · oversalty

Hypernyms

gustable

Hyponyms

briny · saltish · saltyish · brackish

Relateds

sea-salty · saltiness

Synonyms

salty · haline · salt · saline

Translations (204)

pt salgado (containing salt) · pt salobro (containing salt) · zyp ei (tasting of salt) · oc salabrós (tasting of salt) · ca salat (containing salt) · bg пикантен (of language: coarse, provocative) · ca salat (pertaining to article usage in Catalan dialects) · de derb (of language: coarse, provocative) · mi kurutai (containing salt) · xdq ччуму́с (tasting of salt) · es salitroso (containing salt) · ms masin (tasting of salt) · fa نمکین (tasting of salt) · sq i kripur (tasting of salt) · sh сла̑н (tasting of salt) · it salato (containing salt) · sv salt (tasting of salt) · th เค็ม (tasting of salt) · he מָלוּחַ (tasting of salt) · qu millu (tasting of salt) · es picón (bitter) · unm shëwàn (tasting of salt) · de prollig (of language: coarse, provocative) · kxd masin (tasting of salt) · yue 鹹 /咸 (tasting of salt) · pms salà (tasting of salt) · uz tuzli (tasting of salt) · tl maalat (containing salt) · ar مِلْحِيّ (containing salt) · vo salöfik (tasting of salt) · ca salat (tasting of salt) · el αλμυρός (tasting of salt) · ka მარილიანი (tasting of salt) · eu gazi (tasting of salt) · de salzig (containing salt) · tl matabsing (containing salt) · dsb solny (containing salt) · lt sūrus (tasting of salt) · mr खारट (tasting of salt) · la salsus (tasting of salt) · min masin (tasting of salt) · ja 塩辛い (tasting of salt) · sdh سووڵ (tasting of salt) · ro sărat (containing salt) · hu sós (tasting of salt) · vo salerik (containing salt) · it arrabbiato (bitter) · yi זאַלציק (tasting of salt) · bg соле́н (tasting of salt) · it salmastro (containing salt) · fr salé (tasting of salt) · is saltur (tasting of salt) · ru солёный (containing salt) · bg солен (containing salt) · lki سووڵ (tasting of salt) · kmr sûr (tasting of salt) · bcl maaskad (tasting of salt) · sk slaný (tasting of salt) · eo sala (tasting of salt) · it salato (tasting of salt) · el αλατούχος (containing salt) · wuu 鹹 /咸 (tasting of salt) · es saleroso (of language: coarse, provocative) · mk солен (tasting of salt) · el αλμυρός (containing salt) · el πνευματώδης (of language: coarse, provocative) · fa شور (tasting of salt) · it salso (tasting of salt) · mi totetote (containing salt) · fr amère (bitter) · rar mātaitai (tasting of salt) · dsb słony (tasting of salt) · ro sărat (tasting of salt) · lo ເຄັມ (tasting of salt) · kaw hasin (tasting of salt) · km ប្រៃ (tasting of salt) · es salado (tasting of salt) · ast saláu (containing salt) · dsb słony (containing salt) · vo salöfik (containing salt) · grc ἁλυκός (tasting of salt) · ru соляно́й (containing salt) · izh soolain (containing salt) · grc ἁλμυρός (containing salt) · ltg suolejs (tasting of salt) · el αλατώδης (containing salt) · arz مالح (tasting of salt) · nan-hbl 鹹 /咸 (tasting of salt) · ja 塩っぱい (containing salt) · dsb solny (tasting of salt) · es escabroso (of language: coarse, provocative) · de gesalzen (containing salt) · pt salgado (tasting of salt) · bg море́ (containing salt) · kk тұзды (containing salt) · my ငန် (tasting of salt) · ms bergaram (containing salt) · vi mặn (tasting of salt) · cs slaný (tasting of salt) · ur نمکین (tasting of salt) · la salsus (containing salt) · uk со́лений (tasting of salt) · kk тұзды (tasting of salt) · sl slȃn (tasting of salt) · pt bravo (bitter) · de ungehobelt (of language: coarse, provocative) · fr saumâtre (containing salt) · ltg syurs (tasting of salt) · az duzlu (tasting of salt) · qu qullpa (tasting of salt) · tg шӯр (tasting of salt) · tr tuzlu (tasting of salt) · uz shoʻr (tasting of salt) · km ប្រៃ (containing salt) · gl salgado (containing salt) · hi नमकीन (tasting of salt) · bcl maaskad maasin (containing salt) · ja 塩っぱい (tasting of salt) · tl maasin (containing salt) · fr salé (containing salt) · gv sailjey (tasting of salt) · hu sós (containing salt) · dng хан (tasting of salt) · fr amer (bitter) · pdt soltich (tasting of salt) · mns-nor солвалыӈ (tasting of salt) · mk солен (containing salt) · kmr şor (tasting of salt) · ko 짜다 (tasting of salt) · mi mātaitai (tasting of salt) · ug تۇزلۇق (tasting of salt) · es con sal (containing salt) · cy hallt (tasting of salt) · tk duzly (tasting of salt) · es salado (containing salt) · mi totetote (tasting of salt) · pl słony (containing salt) · ms asin (tasting of salt) · nl zout (containing salt) · sh slȃn (tasting of salt) · tl maalat (tasting of salt) · zza solın (tasting of salt) · ast saláu (tasting of salt) · vo salodik (containing salt) · uk соло́ний (tasting of salt) · cy hallt (containing salt) · fi suolainen (tasting of salt) · pt salobre (containing salt) · unm shëwël (tasting of salt) · cmn 鹽的 /盐的 (containing salt) · grc ἁλμυρός (tasting of salt) · gv sailjey (containing salt) · pl słony (tasting of salt) · ar مَالِح (tasting of salt) · de salzig (tasting of salt) · et soolane (tasting of salt) · rar tai (tasting of salt) · haw kai (tasting of salt) · wbk pistë (tasting of salt) · inh дира (tasting of salt) · gl salgado (tasting of salt) · ru солёный (tasting of salt) · la īrātus (bitter) · cdo 鹹 /咸 (tasting of salt) · mns-nor солвалыӈ (containing salt) · id asin (tasting of salt) · pt salgado (of language: coarse, provocative) · cs slaný (containing salt) · de wettergegerbt (experienced) · pt salobro (tasting of salt) · jv asin (tasting of salt) · fi suolainen (containing salt) · lv sāļš (tasting of salt) · haw ālia (tasting of salt) · mn давстай (tasting of salt) · it salso (containing salt) · omq-sjq TyinqG (tasting of salt) · ce дуьра (tasting of salt) · ckb سوێر (tasting of salt) · mg masina (tasting of salt) · de rüde (of language: coarse, provocative) · de salzhaltig (containing salt) · ml ഉപ്പുരസമുള്ള (tasting of salt) · id asin (containing salt) · fi rasvainen (of language: coarse, provocative) · pau mecherocher (tasting of salt) · mdh matimus (tasting of salt) · hy աղի (tasting of salt) · cmn 鹹 /咸 (containing salt) · rar taitai (tasting of salt) · nl zout (tasting of salt) · be салёны (tasting of salt) · izh soolain (tasting of salt) · ky туздуу (tasting of salt) · ru быва́лый (experienced) · ca odiar (bitter) · mr खारे (tasting of salt) · cmn 鹹 /咸 (tasting of salt) · ru солёный (of language: coarse, provocative) · es salobre (tasting of salt) · fr vénère (bitter) · mrw matimos (tasting of salt) · yi זאַלציק (containing salt) · tr tuzlu (containing salt)