en smak

Definition & meaning

Smak means taste in several senses:

• The flavor of food or drink, such as sweetness or bitterness.
• The sense of taste, or the ability to perceive flavors.
• A person’s preference or judgment, especially in matters such as art, fashion, or food.
• A small sample or hint of something, including figuratively.

Grammar & Word origin

Smak is a common-gender noun: en smak. Its forms are smaken (“the taste”), smaker (“tastes”), and smakerna (“the tastes”).

It is related to the verb smaka ↗ (“to taste”) and has Germanic roots.

Synonyms & antonyms

• arom ↗ — “aroma”; emphasizes a characteristic smell or fragrant flavor rather than taste in general.
• tycke ↗ — “liking” or “preference”; relates to personal taste, not the flavor of food.
• smaklöshet ↗ — “tastelessness”; can mean a lack of flavor or a lack of aesthetic judgment, depending on context.

Common phrases & collocations

• god smak ↗ — “good taste,” either pleasant flavor or refined judgment.
• dålig smak ↗ — “bad taste,” in flavor or judgment.
• ha smak för något ↗ — “to have a taste for something.”
• en smak av något ↗ — “a taste of something,” literally or figuratively.