acquired taste
noun
: something or someone that is not easily or immediately liked or appreciated
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web After 60 days, the flavor can get a little funky, and that’s an acquired taste. 
Chuck Blount, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Sep. 2021 Not mom’s spaghetti, but an acquired taste of something more like dessert, with sauce like chunky tomato pancake syrup. Mike Sutter, ExpressNews.com, 21 Jan. 2021 Wings and burgers have become such an integral part of American cuisine that many would argue for their inherent value, rather than see them as acquired tastes by virtue of their abundance. Liz Specht, WIRED, 19 Aug. 2019 There are acquired tastes, and then there’s Marmite. Zahra Pettican, Bon Appetit, 8 May 2018 The Lips have graduated from acquired taste to legit big-time band, and the live shows are always something to see, in case the above picture hadn’t already clued you in to the band’s visual majesty. Kevin Williams, chicagotribune.com, 1 May 2018
Chuck Blount, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Sep. 2021 Not mom’s spaghetti, but an acquired taste of something more like dessert, with sauce like chunky tomato pancake syrup. Mike Sutter, ExpressNews.com, 21 Jan. 2021 Wings and burgers have become such an integral part of American cuisine that many would argue for their inherent value, rather than see them as acquired tastes by virtue of their abundance. Liz Specht, WIRED, 19 Aug. 2019 There are acquired tastes, and then there’s Marmite. Zahra Pettican, Bon Appetit, 8 May 2018 The Lips have graduated from acquired taste to legit big-time band, and the live shows are always something to see, in case the above picture hadn’t already clued you in to the band’s visual majesty. Kevin Williams, chicagotribune.com, 1 May 2018 Word History
First Known Use
circa 1792, in the meaning defined above