yummy

IPA/ˈjʌmi/
KK[jˈʌmi]IPA/ˈjʌmi/

yummy — adjective

  • yummypositive
  • yummiercomparative
  • yummiestsuperlative

1. Used informally to say that food tastes so good that it makes you want more.

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

Used informally to say that food tastes so good that it makes you want more.

Example

Felix said the warm banana bread smelled yummy in the kitchen.

sensory pattern: smell + yummy

Anjali packed some yummy mango slices for the long train ride.

Common collocations
  • yummy bread
  • yummy cake
  • yummy dumpling
  • yummy soup
  • yummy snack
Synonyms
  • tasty

    the closest neutral synonym; less playful than yummy

  • delicious

    stronger and more standard than the informal yummy

  • mouth-watering

    emphasizes how tempting the food seems before or while you eat it

Antonyms
  • bland

    lacking strong or interesting flavour

  • yucky

    a matching informal opposite for food that tastes bad

Grammar Patterns

yummy + noun (food)

be/look/smell + yummy

Usage Note

Mostly used in casual speech, especially when children, parents, or close friends talk about food.

Common Mistakes

The lecture was yummy.
The lecture was enjoyable.
'yummy' is mainly used for food, not for things that are simply pleasant.

2. A slang way to say that a person looks so sexually attractive that other people

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

A slang way to say that a person looks so sexually attractive that other people react to them strongly.

Example

Asher rolled his eyes when Leo called the actor yummy online.

slang pattern: call + someone + yummy

Layla felt uneasy after a drunk man described her as yummy.

Common collocations
  • look yummy
  • call someone yummy
  • describe someone as yummy
Synonyms
  • sexy

    the closest standard word; less playful than yummy

  • hot

    very informal and strong, often used in casual speech

  • good-looking

    more neutral and not necessarily sexual

Grammar Patterns

call/describe + someone + yummy

look + yummy

Usage Note

This sense is slang and often sounds rude or objectifying. It is safer to avoid it in formal settings or when talking about people you do not know well.

Common Mistakes

Our new manager is yummy.
Our new manager is attractive.
'yummy' sounds too sexual and disrespectful in a professional setting.

Word family

  • yum
    interjectionA1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words say that food is pleasant, but they differ in tone. Yummy is playful, informal, and often used by children, parents, or close friends. Tasty is more neutral and works in almost any everyday situation. Delicious is stronger and shows clear enthusiasm, so speakers often use it when they want to praise a dish warmly. Mouth-watering often describes food that looks or smells so tempting that you want to eat it immediately. For example, a child might say a cupcake looks yummy, a menu might call a soup tasty, a dinner guest might say the noodles were delicious, and a bakery window can make the bread seem mouth-watering before you even take a bite.

yummy ↗tasty ↗delicious ↗mouth-watering ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Etymology

English

Yummy grew from the exclamation yum, which people say when food tastes good. English then added the ending -y to make an adjective meaning 'having the quality that makes people say yum'. The food sense came first in playful, informal speech. Later, some speakers stretched the same idea to people, using yummy as slang for someone who seems strongly sexually attractive.