monosodium glutamate

noun

mono·​so·​di·​um glu·​ta·​mate ˌmä-nə-ˌsō-dē-əm-ˈglü-tə-ˌmāt How to pronounce monosodium glutamate (audio)
: a crystalline sodium salt C5H8NO4Na derived from glutamic acid and used to enhance the flavor of food
—abbreviation MSG

Examples of monosodium glutamate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That’s because of all the salt and MSG (monosodium glutamate, which contains sodium). — Dr. Anthony Yuon, Contributor, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2025 Aijinomoto is best known as the pioneer of monosodium glutamate seasoning. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026 Frana said the Kernza in the beer acts like the flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) or rice wine vinegar in cooking. — Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 6 Jan. 2026 Each of these ingredients contains monosodium glutamate or other flavor-enhancing molecules. — Ali Bouzari, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for monosodium glutamate

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of monosodium glutamate was in 1929

Rhymes for monosodium glutamate

See All Rhymes for monosodium glutamate

Browse Nearby Words

monosodium
monosodium glutamate
monosodium phosphate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Monosodium glutamate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monosodium%20glutamate. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

monosodium glutamate

noun
mono·​so·​di·​um glu·​ta·​mate ˌmän-ə-ˌsōd-ē-əm-ˈglüt-ə-ˌmāt How to pronounce monosodium glutamate (audio)
: a sodium salt used for seasoning foods

Medical Definition

monosodium glutamate

noun
mono·​so·​di·​um glu·​ta·​mate ˌmän-ə-ˌsōd-ē-əm-ˈglüt-ə-ˌmāt How to pronounce monosodium glutamate (audio)
: a crystalline salt C5H8NO4Na derived from glutamic acid that is used to enhance the flavor of food and medicinally to reduce ammonia levels in blood and tissues in ammoniacal azotemia (as in hepatic insufficiency)
—abbreviation MSG

called also sodium glutamate

More from Merriam-Webster on monosodium glutamate

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about monosodium glutamate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tacit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All