flavorful

IPA/ˈfleɪ.və.fəl/
KK[flˈevɚfəl]IPA/ˈfleɪ.vɚ.fəl/

flavorful — adjective

  • flavorfulpositive
  • more flavorfulcomparative
  • most flavorfulsuperlative

1. describing food or drink with a strong, pleasant taste that is easy to notice, s

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing food or drink with a strong, pleasant taste that is easy to notice, such as a spicy curry or a soup cooked slowly with fresh herbs and meat.

Example

Ilan's aunt makes the most flavorful bean stew on the whole block.

attributive: flavorful + noun (food)

The grilled chicken stayed juicy and surprisingly flavorful after the long picnic.

predicative: be + flavorful, intensifier 'surprisingly'

Common collocations
  • flavorful dish
  • flavorful soup
  • flavorful sauce
  • surprisingly flavorful
  • more flavorful
Synonyms
  • tasty

    more everyday and informal; it simply means good to eat

  • savory

    narrower; it points to a salty or herby taste rather than sweetness

  • delicious

    praises the whole eating experience, not just the strength of taste

  • well-seasoned

    narrower; it suggests the taste comes from herbs, spices, or salt

Antonyms
  • bland

    the usual opposite for food that has little interesting taste

  • tasteless

    stronger; it suggests the food has almost no taste at all

Grammar Patterns

flavorful + noun

be + flavorful

Usage Note

This adjective is usually used for food, drinks, or ingredients rather than people or abstract ideas. It often appears after be or before a food noun, and the British spelling is 'flavourful'.

Common Mistakes

The movie was flavorful and exciting.
The movie was vivid and exciting.
flavorful is used for taste, not films or stories.
She has a flavorful personality.
She has a lively personality.
for people, use words like 'lively' or 'colorful' instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These words all praise food, but they focus on different things. 'Flavorful' says the taste is strong and easy to notice. 'Tasty' is the everyday choice and simply says something is good to eat. 'Delicious' is warmer and more emotional, often showing strong enjoyment. 'Savory' is narrower: it points to salty, meaty, or herby food rather than sweet food. 'Well-seasoned' is even more specific, because it suggests the cook created the taste with salt, herbs, or spices. Use 'flavorful' when you want to stress that the food has clear, rich taste, as in 'The soup was simple but deeply flavorful.'

flavorful ↗tasty ↗savory ↗delicious ↗well-seasoned

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • more flavorful
  • simple but flavorful

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Built in English from 'flavor' and the suffix '-ful', which means 'having a lot of something'. The British spelling keeps the older form 'flavourful', while American English usually drops the 'u' and writes 'flavorful'.