acquired taste

plural acquired tastes

1. A taste which is not natural or innate, but which has developed through habit or learning.

   Like many another Italian War hero, young Dino Grandi had turned to the post-War Fascist movement to satisfy an acquired taste for action.

   1939 July 24, “Italy: Home Again”, in Time

   1 more example

   Curiosity and ambition require that we discuss acquired taste. Acquired taste is distinguished from discovered taste. Discovered tastes are those which may be considered innate, basic, or automatic, such as those tastes for bland, salty, […]

   2018, Joshua Zeunert, Tim Waterman, Routledge Handbook of Landscape and Food, Routledge, →ISBN

   Antonyms: natural taste

2. idiomaticSomething that is appreciated only after having initially been regarded as unappealing or unpleasant; a person who is regarded as difficult or dislikable but of whom at least some have grown to approve.

   Since most adults do not share this director's unquenchable optimism, even his best movies tend to be an acquired taste.

   1978 May 29, Frank Rich, “Cinema: Joyride”, in Time

   3 more examples

   This research seemed to suggest that the product's acquired taste which they had been fuelling could also be a latent disadvantage. The advertising campaign implied that Guinness was an acquired taste for the discerning drinker; […]

   1998, Joe Nicholas, John Price, Advanced Studies in Media, Nelson Thornes, →ISBN, page 177

   NBA Hall of Famer Arnold "Red" Auerbach was an acquired taste for most people who had to deal with him on a regular basis. Inexplicably tactless one minute and charming the next, he ran the Boston Celtics as a compassionate dictatorship, his rough edges becoming part and parcel of his storied success.

   2006 October 30, Phil Elderkin, “Red Auerbach, an off-court legend”, in Christian Science Monitor, retrieved 30 Aug 2009

   Mr. Farzan, who eats as many as 100 pawpaws a year in various dishes, acknowledged that the flavor is an acquired taste.

   2023 September 29, Molly Fitzpatrick, “He’s the Pawpaw King of Brooklyn. (What’s a Pawpaw?)”, in The New York Times, →ISSN