nauseous

adjective

nau·​seous ˈnȯ-shəs  ˈnȯ-zē-əs 

1

: causing nausea or disgust : nauseating

the nauseous smell of rotting garbage

2

: affected with nausea or disgust

When the medication makes her tired and nauseous, she works at home instead of going to the office.

—Jane E. Brody

nauseously adverb

nauseousness noun

Nauseous vs. Nauseated: Usage Guide

Nauseous is most often used to mean "physically affected with nausea," especially in phrases like "feeling nauseous" and "the patient became nauseous," but this use was in the past widely considered incorrect. The recommendation was that nauseous be used only to mean "causing nausea or disgust," as in "a nauseous smell" or "nauseous hypocrisy," and that nauseated be used to describe someone feeling the stomach distress of one affected by nausea. Some people still make this distinction, with medical professionals perhaps making up the greatest portion of them. Meanwhile, the "causing nausea or disgust" meaning of nauseous is losing ground to nauseating, with repulsive smells and repugnant behavior tending to be described as nauseating rather than nauseous.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is one nauseous or nauseated?

Some usage guides have held that there should be a strict distinction between nauseous and nauseated, with the first word meaning "causing nausea or disgust" and the second one meaning "affected with nausea." However, nauseous has been in widespread enough use for both of these senses that this distinction is now quite blurred. Nauseous may mean either "causing nausea" or "affected with nausea"; nauseated, on the other hand, is restricted in meaning to "affected with nausea; feeling disgust."

What is the verb for nauseous?

The verb form of nauseous is nauseate, meaning "to affect with nausea or disgust." It comes from the Latin word meaning "seasickness, nausea," which itself may be traced back to the Greek word for "sailor" (nautēs).

Is nausea a noun?

Nausea is a noun, meaning "a stomach distress with distaste for food and an urge to vomit" or "extreme disgust." A number of other nouns are closely related in meaning, including nauseant ("something that causes nausea"), nauseousness ("an instance of nausea"), and nauseatingness ("the quality or state of being nauseating").

Synonyms of nauseous

• sick
• nauseated
• queasy

Examples of nauseous in a Sentence

She looked slightly nauseous, as though she had just watched someone being sick. However, when she drew out her wand and pointed it at Barty Crouch, her hand was quite steady. —J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000

She unleashed, too, an olfactory effect of such nauseous potency as to make him gag and retch. —Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses, 1989

Personally, I think that writing must be a bit like pregnancy: It begins with a microscopic idea that with time grows and takes shape and comes alive. And often, when I get up in the morning and look at what I wrote the night before, sure enough—I become nauseous. —Mike Nichols, Life and other ways to kill time, 1988

Ermyn didn't take sugar, but she sipped the nauseous solution bravely, incapable of rebuffing a kindness. —Alice Thomas Ellis, The Sin Eater, 1977

The smell of gasoline makes me nauseous.

I began to feel nauseous.

Recent Examples on the Web

Around the same time, in early 2017, two Canadian diplomats posted in Cuba had similar symptoms, suddenly feeling extremely nauseous and disoriented, with headaches and ear pain, the two told the Herald. —Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2025

The nutrition classes are specifically designed for patients, and cover topics like how to nourish yourself when your nauseous from chemotherapy. —Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Sep. 2025

The Angels also played the ninth inning without outfielder Jo Adell, who Montgomery said was feeling nauseous. —Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 7 Sep. 2025

In a season-one episode, Taylor raised a concrete grate at Homestead 2 and suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous. —Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 30 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

see nausea

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nauseous

• incautious
• monoecious
• cautious

Kids Definition

nauseous

adjective

nau·​seous ˈnȯ-shəs  ˈnȯ-zē-əs 

: affected with or causing nausea or disgust

feel nauseous

a nauseous odor

nauseously adverb

Medical Definition

nauseous

adjective

nau·​seous ˈnȯ-shəs  ˈnȯ-zē-əs 

1

: causing nausea

2

: affected with nausea