Inedible means not safe or suitable to eat. An inedible mushroom might be poisonous, or an inedible piece of meat might be spoiled and dangerous. Some things are inedible because they're toxic, while others are simply impossible to chew or digest, like tree bark or plastic.

Notice that inedible doesn't just mean something tastes bad. You might dislike Brussels sprouts, but they're still edible because they won't harm you. An inedible plant, on the other hand, could make you seriously ill.

In survival situations, knowing what's edible versus inedible can be life-saving. Many berries look delicious but are actually inedible and poisonous. Sometimes things become inedible: fresh bread is edible, but after weeks of sitting out, mold can make it inedible.

People sometimes use inedible as an exaggeration when food is just really terrible, saying “This cafeteria pizza is inedible!” But technically, if you could eat it without getting sick, it's just unpleasant, not truly inedible.