nauseous

[ naw-shuhs, -zee-uhs ]

adjective

1. affected with nausea; nauseated:

   to feel nauseous.

2. causing nausea; sickening; nauseating:

   a nauseous smell.

3. disgusting; loathsome:

   a nauseous display of greed.

   Synonyms: repulsive, despicable, detestable, abhorrent, repellent, nasty, revolting

   Antonyms: delightful

nauseous

/ ˈnɔːzɪəs; -sɪ- /

adjective

1. feeling sick
2. causing nausea
3. distasteful to the mind or senses; repulsive

Confusables Note

The two literal senses of nauseous, “affected with nausea” ( to feel nauseous ) and “causing nausea” ( a nauseous smell ), appear in English at almost the same time in the early 17th century, and both senses are in standard use at the present time. Nauseous is more common than nauseated in the sense “affected with nausea,” despite recent objections by those who imagine the sense to be new. In the sense “causing nausea,” either literally or figuratively, nauseating has become more common than nauseous : a nauseating smell.

Derived Forms

• ˈnauseously, adverb
• ˈnauseousness, noun

Other Words From

• nauseous·ly adverb
• nauseous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nauseous¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin nauseōsus; nausea, -ous

Example Sentences

All five of the new civil cases allege that Mr Combs - or by proxy through his associates - drugged alcoholic beverages at the events that made the plaintiffs dizzy, nauseous and feel outside their bodies.

From BBC

You want to eat but feel nauseous.

From Salon

"A family member took me into the front room. And I was starting to feel breathless. I was just starting to feel nauseous and I was starting to go pale... and my sister called the ambulance to come and get me."

From BBC

The lightest of workouts now makes Hardy feel nauseous – she recalls passing out when her heart rate went up after trying to jump rope.

From BBC

When I wasn’t actively throwing up, I was still a queasy combination of hungry and nauseous.

From Slate