disgust
Americanverb (used with object)
-
disgusts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disgusted,
past participle, past
-
disgusting
present participle
noun
-
repugnance caused by something offensive; strong aversion.
He left the room in disgust.
- Synonyms:
- antipathy, detestation, abhorrence
- Antonyms:
- relish
verb
-
to sicken or fill with loathing
-
to offend the moral sense, principles, or taste of
noun
-
a great loathing or distaste aroused by someone or something
-
as a result of disgust
Synonym Usage
See dislike.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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disgustednessnoun
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predisgustnoun
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self-disgustnoun
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quasi-disgustedadjective
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undisgustedadjective
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disgustedlyadverb
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quasi-disgustedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disgustsimple
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disgustssimple
-
have disgustedperfect
-
has disgustedperfect
-
am disgustingprogressive
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are disgustingprogressive
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is disgustingprogressive
-
have been disgustingperfect progressive
-
has been disgustingperfect progressive
Past
-
disgustedsimple
-
had disgustedperfect
-
was disgustingprogressive
-
were disgustingprogressive
-
had been disgustingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disgust
First recorded in 1590–1600; (for the verb) from Middle French desgouster, from des- dis- 1 + gouster “to taste, relish” (derivative of goust “taste,” from Latin gusta; see also choose); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
Disgust is a strong feeling of dislike. If you can't stand peas, you might wrinkle your nose in disgust when you are served a bowl of pea soup. Disgust is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it's a reaction to something you think is gross or terrible, like showing your disgust at a movie by getting up and leaving. As a verb, disgust means "to offend," like when your class's bad behavior at the assembly disgusts all the teachers, or "to gross out or revolt." If you pick your nose in public, you will disgust everyone around you.
Vocabulary lists containing disgust
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Emotions on Display
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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.
See Examples For:
Galán declined to be interviewed for Carr’s documentary, having been thoroughly raked over the coals once the public’s visceral disgust with “The Swan” got it canceled after its second season.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026
While all his experiences up to 2016 were instructive, they couldn’t buffer the shock and disgust of the backlash to his protest.
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2026
A team of lab assistants spent months watching their reactions, coding facial expressions and scoring them against nine emotional behaviors: anger, disgust, happiness/amusement, contempt, sadness, embarrassment, fear, surprise and confusion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
After Rybakina sent an ace past her to secure victory, Sabalenka flung her racquet away in disgust before congratulating her opponent.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Belhib could be heard cracking his jaw in disgust.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Monica Missio, the mother of victim Nicholas Cleves, told the courtroom: "It disgusts me that he gets to wake up every day while my son does not."
From BBC ● May 18, 2023
“It really disgusts me,” said Romain Le Riguer, a 20-year-old literature student, who had spontaneously come to the plaza.
From New York Times ● Mar. 16, 2023
But it’s the sovereign’s weakness as a ruler that disgusts the queen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2022
“To know that the FBI could have helped to avoid this trauma disgusts me.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 21, 2022
I can see from all the way over here that his nose is flared, his lips are turned up, and his brows are furrowed, as if my little sister disgusts him.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
No wonder disgusted fans have protested both inside and outside Angel Stadium all summer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
"The half-million Israelis living peacefully … are most disgusted by a small group of thugs," said US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee who welcomed the Israeli leaders' condemnation.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned about a growing parasitic outbreak that causes explosive diarrhea, which has delighted and disgusted the internet, because of course it has.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
She argues that Richmond, alienated from the king and disgusted by parliamentary passivity, kindled a printed firestorm in the public sphere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
That disgusted Mrs. Adams, who had grown up with enslaved servants but had come to hate slavery.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
“Police did a disgusting job of handling this case.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
"We never should have to say something like that. What happened out here today is one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen in my life."
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
“It was disgusting, and I looked around and I was like, ‘Wow.’
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
He had previously called the allegations made against him "disgusting".
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
As I peer into his disgusting mouth, I can’t help but wonder what dental plan he’s getting from Tano’s employment.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
