relish

1 of 2

noun

rel·​ish ˈre-lish 

1

: characteristic flavor

especially : pleasing or zestful flavor

2

: a quantity just sufficient to flavor or characterize : trace

3

a

: enjoyment of or delight in something that satisfies one's tastes, inclinations, or desires

eat with great relish

b

: a strong liking : inclination

has little relish for sports

4

a

: something adding a zestful flavor

especially : a condiment (as of pickles or green tomatoes) eaten with other food to add flavor

b

: appetizer, hors d'oeuvre

relish

2 of 2

verb

relished; relishing; relishes

transitive verb

1

: to add relish to

2

: to be pleased or gratified by : enjoy

3

: to eat or drink with pleasure

4

: to appreciate with taste and discernment

intransitive verb

: to have a characteristic or pleasing taste

relishable

ˈre-li-shə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms

Noun

• appetite
• fancy
• favor
• fondness
• like
• liking
• love
• love affair
• partiality
• preference
• shine
• taste
• use

Verb

• adore
• delight (in)
• dig
• enjoy
• fancy
• get off (on)
• groove (on)
• like
• love
• rejoice (in)
• revel (in)
• savor
• savour

Examples of relish in a Sentence

Noun

I like to eat hot dogs with mustard and relish.

She plays the role with great relish.

He took particular relish in pointing out my error.

Verb

I relish traveling to new places.

I don't relish the idea of working late tonight.

He relishes the chance to compete again.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The film treats Ryder’s Beth as the evil hag witch who the virginal hard worker Nina has to beat to achieve her dreams, and Ryder plays that role with relish and gusto. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024

Fred can point out all of the details that went into the party and relish in how happy that made everyone. —Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 1 Nov. 2024

Verb

The belief is that people will relish having generative AI perform their chores such as filling out online forms, composing and sending emails for you, and otherwise acting as a kind of agentic AI doing your bidding. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Audiard seems to relish the memory of all that back-and-forth. —Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

alteration of Middle English reles odor, taste, from Middle French, something left behind, release — more at release

First Known Use

Noun

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1566, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

relish

1 of 2 noun

rel·​ish ˈrel-ish 

1

: a pleasing appetizing taste

2

: a small bit added for flavor : dash

3

a

: enjoyment or delight in something

eat with great relish

b

: a strong liking

4

: a highly seasoned food (as of pickles or mustard) eaten with other food to add flavor

relish

2 of 2 verb

1

: to add relish to

2

: to be pleased by : enjoy

3

: to eat or drink with pleasure

relishable

-ə-bəl 

adjective