poor taste
Lacking refined judgment
Poor taste is judgment that offends or fails to meet social standards of propriety, aesthetics, or sensitivity.
A joke about someone's death might be in poor taste.
The phrase often appears as a softened criticism—calling something poor taste rather than outright wrong: The advertisement was in poor taste, but not illegal.
Poor taste can also describe aesthetic misjudgment: The gaudy decorations showed poor taste.
- crassCrudely lacking refinement
- garishTastelessly showy
- gaudyTastelessly ornate
- inappropriateNot suitable or fitting
- over the lineBeyond what's acceptable
below the belt · uncouth · rude · offensive · insensitive · tone deaf · lurid · exploitative · tacky · tactless · boorish · bad form · vulgar · kitschy · disrespectful · degrading · shock value · indiscreet
- bad mannersrudeness, impoliteness, discourtesy, incivility, disrespect
- unacceptableunacceptable, inappropriate, improper, wrong, forbidden
- wrongdoingscrime, crimes, sin, sins, wrongdoing
- risquerisque, racy, bawdy, ribald, suggestive
poor tastegood taste
Sense of quality
tastefulness · elegance · refinement · sophistication · discernment
poor tastegood taste
Sense of quality
tastefulness · tact · propriety · decorum · appropriateness
poor tastesophistication
Cultured elegance and complexity
refinement · elegance · cultivation · connoisseurship · polish
poor, taste, tasteless, tasteful, tasting, distasteful, poorest, poorer, impoverished