nauseous
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
nau·seous
(nô′shəs, -zē-əs)adj.
1. Causing nausea; sickening: "the most nauseous offal fit for the gods" (John Fowles).
2. Affected with nausea.
nau′seous·ly adv.
nau′seous·ness n.
Usage Note: Traditional usage lore has insisted that nauseous should be used only to mean "causing nausea" and that it is incorrect to use it to mean "feeling sick to one's stomach." Back in 1965, the Usage Panel was in step with this thinking, with 88 percent rejecting the "feeling sick" meaning of nauseous in the sentence Roller coasters make me nauseous, preferring nauseated instead. Over the years, however, this attitude has shifted dramatically. The proportion of Panelists who disapproved of this same sentence dropped to 72 percent in 1988, 39 percent in 1999, and a slim 23 percent in 2013. This change may have been inevitable once people began to think that nauseous did not properly mean "causing nausea." Even in our 1988 survey, this was the case, as 88 percent preferred nauseating in the sentence The children looked a little green from too many candy apples and nauseating (not nauseous) rides. In 2013, the Panel was presented with this sentence using the word nauseous, and only 30 percent found it acceptable. Since there is abundant evidence for the "feeling sick" use of nauseous, the word presents a classic example of a word whose traditional, "correct" usage has largely been supplanted by a newer, "incorrect" one. In other words, what was once considered an error is now standard practice. Nauseous is now far more common than nauseated in describing the sick feeling.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
nauseous
(ˈnɔːzɪəs; -sɪ-)adj
1. feeling sick
2. (Medicine) causing nausea
3. distasteful to the mind or senses; repulsive
ˈnauseously adv
ˈnauseousness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
nau•seous
(ˈnɔ ʃəs, -zi əs)adj.
1. affected with nausea; nauseated.
2. causing nausea; sickening; nauseating.
3. disgusting; loathsome.
nau′seous•ly, adv.
nau′seous•ness, n.
usage: 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 are in standard use at present. nauseous in the sense “affected with nausea” is often criticized, though it is more common than nauseated, the recommended form, in this sense. In the sense “causing nausea,” either literally or figuratively, nauseating has become more common than nauseous: a nauseating smell; nauseating eating habits.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
nauseous
, nauseated - Nauseous ("sickening") is an adjective describing something that causes nausea; the adjective for the feeling ("made sick") is nauseated.See also related terms for sick.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Adj. | 1. |  nauseous - causing or able to cause nausea; "a nauseating smell"; "nauseous offal"; "a sickening stench"unwholesome - detrimental to physical or moral well-being; "unwholesome food"; "unwholesome habits like smoking" |
| 2. | nauseous - feeling nausea; feeling about to vomit |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
nauseous
adjective
1. sick, green, ill, unwell, nauseated, queasy, bilious, crook (Austral. & N.Z. informal) The drugs make me feel nauseous.
2. sickening, offensive, disgusting, revolting, distasteful, repulsive, nauseating, repugnant, loathsome, abhorrent, detestable, yucky or yukky (slang) The floor was deep with bat dung giving off a nauseous smell.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
nauseous
[ˈnɔːsɪəs] ADJ1. (lit) to feel nauseous → sentir náuseas
the sight of food made me (feel) nauseous → sólo de ver la comida me daban náuseas
the sight of food made me (feel) nauseous → sólo de ver la comida me daban náuseas
2. [colour, smell] → nauseabundo
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
nauseous
[ˈnɔːziəs] adj (= feeling sick) to be nauseous → avoir mal au cœur, avoir envie de vomir
to feel nauseous → avoir mal au cœur, avoir envie de vomir
to feel nauseous → avoir mal au cœur, avoir envie de vomir
(= disgusting) → nauséabond(e), écœurant(e)
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
nau·seous
a. nauseoso-a.
1. propenso a tener náuseas;
2. que produce náusea o asco.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
nauseous
adj con náusea(s); (nauseating) asqueroso, nauseabundo, que causa náusea(s)English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.