Relish

/ˈɹɛlɪʃ/ noun, verb

noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: Flavour or taste; (countable) an instance of this.
  • Grammar: relish is listed as noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: savor, accept, admire, adore.
  • Useful contrasts: abhor, be disgusted by, blandness.
  • Usage evidence: Dangers give relish to an adventure.

How to use "relish"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "relish" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "relish" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "relish" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "relish" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "relish" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "savor" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "relish", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Flavour or taste; (countable) an instance of this. obsolete, uncountable

    "Much pleasure we have lost while we abstained / From this delightful fruit, nor known till now / True relish, tasting."

  2. 2
    A projecting component. obsolete

    "Forject: m[asculine]. A iutting, or leaning out, or ouer; a relliſh, or out-footing."

  3. 3
    A type of ornamentation comprising one or more trills. historical

    "O Gad! there's a flat Note! / There's art! hovv ſurprizingly the Key changes! / O lavv [Lord]! there's a double reliſh! I ſvvear, Sir, you have the ſvveeteſt little Finger in England!"

  4. 4
    the taste experience when a savoury condiment is taken into the mouth wordnet
  5. 5
    Followed by for: one's liking or taste for something; a fondness. countable, figuratively, obsolete

    "I have a relish for moderate praise, because it bids fair to be judicious."

Show 13 more definitions
  1. 6
    In a wooden frame: the projection or shoulder around, or at the side of, a tenon (“projecting member made to insert into a mortise”), used to strengthen a mortise-and-tenon joint. broadly

    "The Teazle Tennons are made at right Angles to thoſe vvhich are made on the Poſts to go into the Raiſons, and the Reliſh, or Cheats of theſe Teazle Tennons ſtand up vvithin an Inch and a ½ of the top of the Raiſon, […]"

  2. 7
    vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment wordnet
  3. 8
    A small amount; a tinge, a trace. countable, figuratively, obsolete
  4. 9
    spicy or savory condiment wordnet
  5. 10
    Ability to taste or (figurative) enjoy. figuratively, obsolete, uncountable
  6. 11
    Particular quality; (countable) an instance of this; a characteristic or quality. figuratively, obsolete, uncountable

    "[T]hat Air of piety to the Gods ſhould ſhine thro' the Poem, vvhich ſo viſibly appears in all the vvorks of antiquity: And it ought to preſerve ſome reliſh of the old vvay of vvriting; the connections ſhould be looeſ, the narrations and decſriptions ſhort, and the periods conciſe."

  7. 12
    Enjoyment of flavour or taste; (countable) an instance of this. broadly, uncountable
  8. 13
    Enjoyment of something pleasant; (countable) an instance of this. broadly, figuratively, uncountable

    "Jews and Israel are not synonymous; nor is support for Palestine synonymous with anti-Semitism; nor is questioning the orthodoxy of the Republican party, which the majority of us do with relish, an insult to Jewry."

  9. 14
    Appetizing or pleasant flavour or taste; (countable) an instance of this. archaic, broadly, uncountable
  10. 15
    Pleasant quality; (countable) an instance of this. archaic, broadly, figuratively, uncountable

    "When liberty is gone, / Life grows insipid, and has lost its relish."

  11. 16
    A savoury dish or course of dishes, especially one accompanying rather than forming the main part of a meal; an appetizer, a side dish. broadly, countable
  12. 17
    A savoury dish or course of dishes, especially one accompanying rather than forming the main part of a meal; an appetizer, a side dish.; A characteristic or quality which accompanies another thing. broadly, countable, figuratively, uncountable
  13. 18
    A condiment or sauce added to food for a spicy or tangy flavour; specifically, one made with chopped, pickled fruit or vegetables. broadly, countable, uncountable

    "Congressmen gleefully wolfed down every imaginable version of the hot dog – smoked kielbasas, jumbo grillers, Big & Juicy's, kosher dogs and spiced dogs – topped with every imaginable condiment – hot mustard, sweet mustard, jalapenos, spaghetti sauce, regular relish, corn relish, maple syrup salsa and the secret sauce of Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.). ("If I told you the recipe," an aide explained, "I'd have to shoot you.")"

Verb
  1. 1
    To give (something) (a pleasant) flavour or taste; to make appetizing. transitive

    "The olde man, which marrieth a yonge Wyfe, is ſure of this ſowre ſauce, to relliſh his ſwete Imaginations: […]"

  2. 2
    To add one or more relishes (noun etymology 2 sense 2) to (a tenon, piece of wood, etc.). transitive

    "At Fig. 13 I show a housed string between newels. Here the string is double tenoned into the shanks of both newels, also relished between tenons and pinned into the shank."

  3. 3
    To sing (a song or tune); specifically, in a manner where there are tremulous changes of tone; to trill, to warble. obsolete, transitive

    "Val[entine]. VVhy, hovv knovv you that I am in loue? / Speed. Marry by theſe ſpeciall markes: firſt you haue learn'd (like Sir Protheus) to vvreath your Armes like a Male-content: to relliſh a Loue-ſong, like a Robin-red-breaſt: to vvalke alone like one that had the peſtilence: to ſigh, like a Schoole-boy that had loſt his A. B. C. […]"

  4. 4
    derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in wordnet
  5. 5
    To take delight or pleasure in (someone or oneself, or something). also, figuratively, reflexive, sometimes, transitive

    "He relishes their time together."

Show 12 more definitions
  1. 6
    To eat or taste (drink, food, etc.). obsolete, transitive

    "[S]he being not vnprouided of ſtrong poyſon at that inſtant, in the Popes outward chamber ſo mingled it, that when his Grand-ſublimity-taſter came to reliſh it, he ſunke downe ſtark dead on the pauement."

  2. 7
    To provide (someone, or their appetite, mouth, stomach, etc.) with something appetizing or tasty. obsolete, transitive

    "[T]o relliſh the pallat of lickeriſh expectation, and withall to giue an Item how ſudden a ſlabber this ruffianly ſwaggerer (Death) is, […]"

  3. 8
    To appreciate or understand (something). figuratively, obsolete, transitive

    "Giue me a huſband that vvill fill mine armes, / Of ſteddie iudgement, quicke and nimble ſenſe: / Fooles reliſh not a Ladies excellence."

  4. 9
    To experience (something); also (rare), to feel (something). figuratively, obsolete, transitive

    "VVe poore commons (vvho taſting vvarre, are made to relliſh nothing but taxes) can do nothing but grieue, to ſee things vnlavvful practiſed, to obtein things impoſſible."

  5. 10
    To have a particular opinion about (someone or something); to receive, to regard. figuratively, obsolete, transitive

    "VVhich inſolent ſpeech the Engliſh Biſhops reliſhed ſo harſhly, that they preſently vvith one voyce threatned to accurſe and excommunicate by name the Kings principall vvicked Counſellers; […]"

  6. 11
    To have a tinge or trace of (something). figuratively, obsolete, transitive

    "This vvas Theatricall vvit, right Stage-jeſting, and reliſhing a Play-houſe, invented for ſcorne, and laughter; […]"

  7. 12
    To provide (someone) with something delightful or pleasant; to delight, to gratify, to please. figuratively, obsolete, transitive
  8. 13
    Followed by in: to take delight or pleasure. figuratively, intransitive
  9. 14
    To have a particular (specifically, a pleasant) flavour or taste. intransitive, obsolete

    "[G]ood ſalt cannot relyſh in ſo vnſauory a mouth, […]"

  10. 15
    To have a particular (specifically, a favourable) characteristic or quality. figuratively, intransitive, obsolete

    "But if any ſhall inquire farther as concerning Thetis, my aunſwere muſt then relliſh after the Oracle at Delphos, that euermore left the certaintie of thinges to vncertaine euentes, and howſoeuer it hapned with or contrarie to expectation, yet ſtill the euent made good the oracle: […]"

  11. 16
    To have a tinge or trace of something. figuratively, intransitive, obsolete

    "You ſhould not haue beleeu'd me, for vertue cannot ſo e[n]oculat our old ſtock, but vve ſhall reliſh of it, I loued you not."

  12. 17
    To provide delight or pleasure. figuratively, intransitive, obsolete

Synonyms

All synonyms
savoracceptadmireadoreadoresaffection

Antonyms

abhorbe disgusted byblandnessdisinterest

Example

"Dangers give relish to an adventure."

Common questions

What does "relish" mean?

Flavour or taste; (countable) an instance of this.

What is a synonym for "relish"?

Common synonyms include: savor, accept, admire, adore, adores, affection.

How do you use "relish" in a sentence?

Dangers give relish to an adventure.

How do you pronounce "relish"?

Pronounced /ˈɹɛlɪʃ/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

The noun is a variant of release (“(obsolete) odour, scent”), from Middle English reles, relese (“odour, scent; taste; efficacy, power”), probably from Anglo-Norman reles, relais, or Old French reles, relais (“that which is left behind, remainder, residue”), from relaisser, relaschier (“to liberate, release; to relax”) (modern French relâcher), from Latin relaxāre, the present active infinitive of relaxō (“to stretch out or widen again, loosen, slacken; (figurative) to ease, relax”), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again; back, backwards’) + laxō (“to release, undo; to relax”) (from laxus (“spacious, wide; loose, slack”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leg- (“to slacken; to tire out”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). Doublet of release. The verb is derived from the noun.

Etymology 2

The noun is derived from Late Middle English relese (“projection of a wall”), probably from Middle French relais or Old French relais (“projection of masonry at the base of a wall”), a specific use of reles, relais (“that which is left behind, remainder, residue”): see further at etymology 1. Doublet of release. The verb is derived from the noun.

Etymology 3

The noun is probably derived partly: * from release (“(obsolete) odour, scent”), from Middle English reles, relese (“odour, scent; taste; efficacy, power”); and * from relish (“one’s liking or taste for something”). See further at etymology 1. The verb is probably derived from the noun.

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Synonyms

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