nausea

American  

[naw-zee-uh, -zhuh, -see-uh, -shuh] / ˈnɔ zi ə, -ʒə, -si ə, -ʃə /

noun

1. a feeling of sickness in the stomach, especially when accompanied by a loathing for food and an involuntary impulse to vomit.

2. extreme disgust; loathing; repugnance.

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nausea British  

/ -sɪə, ˈnɔːzɪə /

noun

1. the sensation that precedes vomiting

2. a feeling of disgust or revulsion

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nausea Scientific  

/ nô′zē-ə,-zhə /

1. A symptom characterized by gastrointestinal distress and an urge to vomit.

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Usage

What does nausea mean? Nausea is a feeling of sickness in your stomach, as if you might vomit. People can experience nausea from food that has upset their stomach, from the side effects of medications, or from a number of other conditions that affect the stomach, such as seasickness, motion sickness, morning sickness, carsickness, and anxiety. To have nausea is to feel nauseous or nauseated. To nauseate is to cause nausea. Things that cause nausea can be described as nauseating (or, less commonly, nauseous). The word nausea can also be used in a figurative way meaning a feeling of disgust, revulsion, or repulsion, as in I felt a sense of nausea wash over me when witnessing their cruelty.  Example: If you feel nausea coming on, try lying down and breathing through your nose.

Etymology

Origin of nausea

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin nausea, nausia, from unattested Greek nausíā (Ionic nausíē ) “seasickness,” derivative of naûs “ship”; see -ia

Explanation

When you feel like you might throw up, that's nausea. I know you're feeling sea sick, but if our boat sinks, nausea will be the least of your problems. Nausea gets its root from the Greek word for ship, naus, so it might have originally meant sea sickness in particular. Remembering this origin might help you spell nausea correctly too, since it ends with “sea.” But nausea can strike on dry land just as well, from eating the wrong thing, catching the flu, reading on a moving bus...just thinking of it all makes me sick to my stomach.

Example Sentences

Half of those who contract the virus also experience headaches, dizziness, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

My mother, Beverly, a nurse, was there to provide extra care and a quick hand with the pink bucket for the constant nausea and vomiting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

Specific batches were understood to have been contaminated with toxin cereulide, which can trigger nausea and vomiting when consumed.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

In animal studies, the molecule reduced appetite and body weight while avoiding several common side effects such as nausea, constipation, and muscle loss.

From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2026

Rishi sat up, ignoring the lurching of stomach acid and the slow roll of the wave of nausea washing over him, and grabbed her wrists.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• airsickness
• biliousness
• car sickness
• mal de mer
• motion sickness
• nauseousness
• qualms
• queasiness
• regurgitation
• retching
• seasickness
• sickness
• squeamishness
• vomiting