bad taste in one's mouth

noun

A feeling that something is morally despicable as to cause nausea.

“The more I thought of my orders, the more it left a bad taste in my mouth.”

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Meanings

nounbad taste in one's mouth (plural bad tastes in one's mouth)

plural bad tastes in one's mouth

  1. idiomaticA feeling that something is morally despicable as to cause nausea.

    The more I thought of my orders, the more it left a bad taste in my mouth.

  2. idiomaticA feeling of guilt, responsibility, or embarrassment as to cause nausea.

    Knowing that I had inadvertently aided a killer, left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

  3. idiomaticA feeling of disappointment and frustration.

Origin

Refers to the feeling of nausea or its aftereffects.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

bad taste in one's mouth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bad%20taste%20in%20one's%20mouth

MLA

“bad taste in one's mouth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bad%20taste%20in%20one's%20mouth. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bad taste in one's mouth,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bad%20taste%20in%20one's%20mouth.

Source: bad taste in one's mouth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.