nounnounadjectiveother

le salé

salty · salted

Definition & meaning

Salé means salty or salted: containing salt or tasting of salt. It can also mean savoury, as opposed to sweet.

Figuratively, it can describe a price or bill as steep or hefty.

Grammar & Word origin

Salé is an adjective. It agrees with the noun it describes: masculine salé, feminine salée, masculine plural salés, and feminine plural salées.

It is also the past participle of saler (“to salt”), derived from sel (“salt”).

Synonyms & antonyms

salin — “saline” or “salty”; more technical and often used for water or environments.
onéreux — “expensive”; a more formal synonym for the figurative sense of salé.
sucré — “sweet”; an opposite when contrasting savoury and sweet foods.
fade — “bland”; an opposite when salé describes a strongly salty taste.