nauseous

[ naw-shuhs, -zee-uhs ]

adjective

1. affected with nausea; nauseated:

   to feel nauseous.

2. causing nausea; sickening; nauseating:

   a nauseous smell.

3. disgusting; loathsome:

   a nauseous display of greed.

   Synonyms: repulsive, despicable, detestable, abhorrent, repellent, nasty, revolting

   Antonyms: delightful

nauseous

/ -sɪ-; ˈnɔːzɪəs /

adjective

1. feeling sick
2. causing nausea
3. distasteful to the mind or senses; repulsive

Confusables Note

The two literal senses of nauseous, “affected with nausea” ( to feel nauseous ) and “causing nausea” ( a nauseous smell ), appear in English at almost the same time in the early 17th century, and both senses are in standard use at the present time. Nauseous is more common than nauseated in the sense “affected with nausea,” despite recent objections by those who imagine the sense to be new. In the sense “causing nausea,” either literally or figuratively, nauseating has become more common than nauseous : a nauseating smell.

Derived Forms

• ˈnauseously, adverb
• ˈnauseousness, noun

Other Words From

• nauseous·ly adverb
• nauseous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nauseous¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin nauseōsus; nausea, -ous

Example Sentences

Further, four out of 10 women taking the drug reported that it made them nauseous.

From Popular-Science

If you’re not dizzy or nauseous and your heart rate feels normal, it’s probably safe to move on.

From Popular-Science

Meanwhile, cool water will help settle your stomach when you start feeling sweaty or nauseous.

From Popular-Science

If you already have a big flat-screen TV that is now making you nauseous, you don’t need to throw it away—sitting farther from it will have the same effect.

From Popular-Science

Remember, if you start to feel nauseous, light-headed, or dizzy, pause your game, pop your VR headset off, and take a quick seat or drink some water.

From Popular-Science

Typically, I feel half-nauseous for the first week and this time was no different.

From The Daily Beast

The texture was awkward and as I pulled it back and forth between my teeth, I just began to feel more and more nauseous.

From The Daily Beast

“As a result, doing both exercise and a cleanse can leave you feeling tired, dizzy and nauseous,” she says.

From The Daily Beast

It took me like five or six times to actually watch it, but when I watch it, I still get nauseous.

From The Daily Beast

Heavily pregnant, nauseous, she barely made it to her meeting.

From The Daily Beast

It happened to be a preparation of that nauseous drug familiarly known as "Dover's powder."

From Project Gutenberg

It seemed to me then the most nauseous stuff I had ever swallowed.

From Project Gutenberg

The same honey which is sweet to the sound palate is nauseous to the sick; and so on.

From Project Gutenberg

They had already separated from him, as though shunning a corpse because of its nauseous odour.

From Project Gutenberg

You know how they are always prating about Bible Teaching—the 'simple morality of the Gospel,' and all that nauseous stuff?

From Project Gutenberg

More About Nauseous

What does nauseous mean?

To be nauseous is to have nausea—to feel sick in your stomach, as if you might vomit. The word nauseated means the same thing.

Nauseous can also mean the same thing as nauseating—causing nausea. However, nauseous is much less commonly used this way (despite the fact that some people insist that it’s the “proper” use of the word).

The word nausea can also be used in a figurative way meaning a feeling of disgust, revulsion, or repulsion, and nauseous can be used to describe things that make people feel this way, meaning about the same thing as disgusting or loathsome. However, the word nauseating is more commonly used in a figurative context, as in Your linguistic pedantry is nauseating. 

Example: If you feel nauseous, try lying down and breathing through your nose.

Where does nauseous come from?

The first records of the word nauseous come from around 1600. It is thought to derive from the Greek nausíā, meaning “seasickness,” from naûs, meaning “ship” (the same root is the basis of the word nautical). The suffix -ous means “full of” and is used to form adjectives.

People can become nauseous from seasickness and many other conditions that affect the stomach, such as motion sickness, morning sickness, carsickness, anxiety, or from the side effects of medications. People often feel nauseous due to something they ate. When you’re nauseous, the very thought of eating can make you even more nauseous.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to nauseous?

• nauseously (adverb)
• nauseousness (noun)
• nausea (noun)

What are some synonyms for nauseous?

• sick to one’s stomach
• queasy
• nauseated (feeling nausea)
• nauseating (causing nausea)
• nauseant (causing nausea)
• disgusted
• disgusting
• loathsome

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

• nauseate
• nautical

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

• feel
• sick
• stomach
• vomit
• throw up
• motion sickness
• seasickness
• morning sickness
• carsick
• anxiety
• eat
• food

How is nauseous used in real life?

Nauseous is most commonly used to describe someone who feels sick to their stomach. It is typically used in the phrases feel nauseous or feeling nauseous. 

I’m soooo nauseous today. I want to eat something but honestly feel like if I ingest anything I’ll vomit. So yay. Maybe I won’t be making that queso today.

— ferg (@katieferg) October 25, 2020

I’m never going to even know if I’m pregnant from morning sickness because I’m nauseous every day!!!!!

— c h l o e (@chloegiessy) July 6, 2020

 

 

Try using nauseous!

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

A. nauseated
B. nauseating
C. nauseant
D. all of the above