disgusting
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- disgustingly adjective
- disgustingness noun
Etymology
Origin of disgusting
Explanation
Something disgusting is awful in a way that makes you want to throw up — it's really, really yucky. Nobody likes disgusting things. Stepping in dog poo is disgusting — in other words, revolting and gross. Some people think spiders are disgusting; others find meatloaf disgusting; it just depends on what your tastes and tolerances are. If a politician is caught taking bribes, people say "That behavior is disgusting!" If your favorite team loses 20 games in a row, that might seem disgusting. Pretty much anything horrible, terrible, or nasty can be called disgusting.
Vocabulary lists containing disgusting
Ugh! Synonyms for "Gross"
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Ugh! Synonyms for "Gross"
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So Bad: Synonyms for "Awful"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many viewers will find the idea disgusting, along with some of the visuals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
She came to me after that scene, and she goes, “Sonny, in all my years in this business, that is the most vile, disgusting thing I’ve ever had to do.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
Arab Barghouti said he was "enraged" that Western leaders did not speak out against the "disgusting" treatment of prisoners, saying this led to "the dehumanisation of Palestinians".
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
“Imagine being accused of something you’re not doing, and something as disgusting as that. As if I’m some animal that can’t go to the bathroom.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
‘I want the Queen to dream that nine disgusting giants, each one about fifty feet tall, are galloping to England in the night. She must dream their names as well. What are their names again?’
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
