nauseating

[ naw-zee-ey-ting, -zhee-, -see-, -shee- ]

adjective

1. causing sickness of the stomach; nauseous.
2. such as to cause contempt, disgust, loathing, etc.:

   I had to listen to the whole nauseating story.

Confusables Note

See nauseous.

Other Words From

• nause·ating·ly adverb
• un·nause·ating adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nauseating¹

First recorded in 1635–45; nauseat(e) + -ing ²

Example Sentences

And on neighborhood social media platform Nextdoor, residents from all over West L.A. have been relieved to find an answer to the cause of the nauseating odor.

From Los Angeles Times

However, given that so many American voters will come out in favor of criminal autocracy, it’s kind of nauseating to realize that it is so close.

From Salon

The contrived third act notwithstanding, expect audiences in movie theaters to engage with “The Front Room” in audible gasps, one nauseating stunt at a time.

From Los Angeles Times

De' Conti acknowledged the fruit's esteem throughout the Malay archipelago, but considered its odour nauseating.

From Salon

Whether nauseatingly explicit or eerily suggestive, the murders shock less for their punishing particulars than for the dreamy languor with which they’re enacted and filmed.

From New York Times

More About Nauseating

What does nauseating mean?

Nauseating means causing nausea—a feeling of sickness in your stomach, as if you might vomit.

Nauseating is commonly used as an adjective, but it can also be used as the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb nauseate, meaning to cause nausea, as in That smell is nauseating me.  

The adjective nauseous can be used to mean the same thing as nauseating, but nauseous is much more commonly used to mean the same thing as nauseated—feeling nausea.

The word nausea can also be used in a figurative way meaning a feeling of disgust, revulsion, or repulsion, and nauseating can describe someone or something that makes a person feel this, meaning the same thing as disgusting, as in Their cruelty is nauseating. 

The word nauseant can also mean causing or producing nausea, but it is not commonly used other than in a medical context.

Example: I’m not sure what was more nauseating—the disgusting food or the server’s disgusting comments.

Where does nauseating come from?

The first records of the adjective nauseating come from the 1600s. It is thought to ultimately derive from the Greek nausíā, meaning “seasickness,” from naûs, meaning “ship” (the same root is the basis of the word nautical).

Seasickness can be nauseating, as can many other conditions that affect the stomach, such as motion sickness, morning sickness, carsickness, anxiety, or from the side effects of medications. The figurative use of nauseating is perhaps even more common. It’s used to describe people or things that are considered truly disgusting or contemptible, especially by being immoral in some way.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to nauseating?

• nauseatingly (adverb)
• nauseate (verb)
• nausea (noun)

What are some synonyms for nauseating?

• nauseous (causing nausea)
• nauseant
• sickening
• disgusting
• repulsive

What are some words that share a root or word element with nauseating? 

• nauseated
• nautical

What are some words that often get used in discussing nauseating?

• sick to one’s stomach
• queasy
• feel
• sick
• stomach
• vomit
• throw up

How is nauseating used in real life?

Nauseating is perhaps most commonly used in a figurative way.

Just took 4 of my prescribed pills & already feel the nauseating side effects; greeaattt.

— 𝑨𝒓𝒊 (@ari_jhene) January 25, 2016

This is nauseating.
A horrific scandal. https://t.co/Kw8DG3iduW

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) October 21, 2020

Hardly a surprise, but no less nauseating even though we knew what was afoot. “Drug company insiders are profiting handsomely from the world’s desperate hope for a COVID-19 vaccine – The Boston Globe” https://t.co/2MFIUKplyl

— Tom Peters (@tom_peters) October 25, 2020

 

Try using nauseating!

Which of the following words can be used as a synonym of nauseating?

A. sickening
B. disgusting
C. repulsive
D. all of the above