Meaning & use
distinct taste
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Meanings
phrasecountable
A flavor that is easy to notice and clearly different from others.
Grammar: Usually appears as 'a distinct taste' or 'a distinct taste of something'; the plural 'distinct tastes' is also possible.
Patterns
- a distinct taste
- a distinct taste of something
- have a distinct taste
This cheese has a distinct taste that not everyone enjoys.
The sauce left a distinct taste of smoke in my mouth.
Fresh herbs give the soup a distinct taste you don't get from dried ones.
phrasecountableformal
A clear liking for a particular style or activity, especially one that is unusual.
Grammar: Often used in the pattern 'a distinct taste for something'; this sense is more formal and less common than the food sense.
Patterns
- a distinct taste for something
As a young man he developed a distinct taste for adventure.
Her distinct taste for unusual clothes made her easy to spot.
Common combinations
- a distinct taste of
- The bread had a distinct taste of honey.
- leave a distinct taste
- The medicine leaves a distinct taste in your mouth.
- a distinct taste for
- He has a distinct taste for spicy food.
- quite a distinct taste
- The water here has quite a distinct taste.
Synonyms and how they differ
- a strong taste
- This stresses intensity rather than how easy it is to recognize; 'distinct' focuses on being clearly different.
- a distinctive taste
- Very close in meaning, but 'distinctive' often suggests the taste is a characteristic feature of that thing.
Word family
- distinctly adverb
- Clearly; in a way that is easy to notice, as in 'I could taste the garlic distinctly'.
- distinct adjective
- Clearly different or easy to notice, as in 'a distinct flavor'.
Commonly confused: distinct taste or distinctive taste?
distinct taste vs distinctive taste
'Distinct taste' means a taste you can clearly notice; 'distinctive taste' means a taste that makes the food special and recognizable as its own.
Practice
Choose the best sentence.
Choose one answer.
The fixed pattern is 'a distinct taste of something', with the article 'a'. Option A drops the article, option C uses 'the' and the wrong noun 'mints', and option D wrongly makes 'taste' plural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “distinct taste”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.