disgust
Americanverb (used with object)
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
Related Words
See dislike.
Other Word Forms
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.
Many online had reacted with disgust to his video, which was reposted on a community page and picked up by local news outlets.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
I know of no other document that describes so vividly not only starvation, bombardment, arrests, surveillance and crowding, but also the stench and disgust of daily life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
It encourages the audience to think, but it doesn’t force their disgust for empty provocation.
From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026
“I hope people watch the show and it only further ignites their disgust for these things and their shock, because we should never be comfortable,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
Finally he threw away his last pen with a grunt of disgust and sat back on his heels in a mound of screwed-up paper.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
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.
