Salty Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms salty American [sawl-tee] / ˈsɔl ti /

adjective

saltier, saltiest

1. tasting of or containing salt; saline.

2. piquant; sharp; witty.

3. racy or coarse.

   salty humor.

4. of the sea, sailing, or life at sea.

   salty tales of adventure on the high seas.

5. Slang. (especially of a sailor) toughened by experience.

   proud and salty Marines.

6. Slang. angry, upset, or hostile, especially due to embarrassment or failure.

   He gets all salty whenever he loses.

salty British / ˈsɔːltɪ /

adjective

1. of, tasting of, or containing salt

2. (esp of humour) sharp; piquant

3. relating to life at sea

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What else does salty mean? Salty is a slang term for irritated, angry, or resentful, especially as a result of losing or being slighted. This sense of salty originates in and was popularized by Black English.

Other Word Forms

• oversalty adjective
• saltily adverb
• saltiness noun
• unsalty adjective

Etymology

Origin of salty

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; salt 1, -y 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Back in 2022, he showed up to the parade wearing a shirt that had a meme of him featuring his face along with a salty phrase that summed up his philosophy.

From The Wall Street Journal

She mastered the social and political media by not being boring, sprinkling her views with salty talk and a sassy smile.

From The Wall Street Journal

The smell of the sea was in it, salty and sweet.

From Literature

The wind whipped off the water and almost took my breath away as it brought with it the salty smells of the sea.

From Literature

The men of the Advance survived on salty dried meat and tinned vegetables.

From Literature

Related Words

• alkaline
• briny
• pungent
• saline
• salted
• sour

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.