salty

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /sɔl.ti/ UK /ˈsɒl.ti/ See IPA manual

Freq #9351

Meanings

1

adj
Tasting of salt.

The soup was too salty, so I added more water.
2

adj
Containing salt.

You can't drink salty seawater.
3

adj
Annoyed, bitter, or upset, often about something minor.

He got salty after losing the game by one point.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · tasting of salt. sour

More halinesaline salt

Opposites

nonsalinenonsaltnonsaltyunsalty

Word family

Forms saltiersaltiest

Derived forms nonsaltyoversaltysaltilysaltinesssaltyishsupersaltyunsalty

Related forms saltinesssea-salty

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

salty language
lively, provocative wording, often with coarse or risqué expressions

Adjective + noun

Etymology

PIE word *sḗh₂l From Middle English salti, equivalent to salt + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian soaltig (“salty”), West Frisian sâltich (“salty”), Dutch zoutig (“salty”), German Low German soltig (“salty”), German salzig (“salty”). (coarse; irritated, annoyed): Referencing the sharp, 'spicy' flavor of salt. (indignant): Perhaps implying the person is a crybaby, shedding salty tears, or derived from the preceding.

salti Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# salty

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /sɔl.ti/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsɒl.ti/
**Frequency rank:** 9351

## Meanings
1. Tasting of salt.
2. Containing salt.
3. Annoyed, bitter, or upset, often about something minor.

## Examples
- The soup was too salty, so I added more water.
- You can't drink salty seawater.
- He got salty after losing the game by one point.

## Synonyms
- haline
- saline
- salt

## Antonyms
- nonsaline
- nonsalt
- nonsalty
- unsalty

## Derived Forms
- nonsalty
- oversalty
- saltily
- saltiness
- saltyish
- supersalty
- unsalty

## Related Forms
- saltiness
- sea-salty

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: salti

## Etymology
PIE word *sḗh₂l From Middle English salti, equivalent to salt + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian soaltig (“salty”), West Frisian sâltich (“salty”), Dutch zoutig (“salty”), German Low German soltig (“salty”), German salzig (“salty”). (coarse; irritated, annoyed): Referencing the sharp, 'spicy' flavor of salt. (indignant): Perhaps implying the person is a crybaby, shedding salty tears, or derived from the preceding.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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