nauseate

verb

nau·​se·​ate ˈnȯ-zhē-ˌāt  -shē-  -zē- 

-sē-

nauseated; nauseating

intransitive verb

1

: to become affected with nausea

2

: to feel disgust

transitive verb

: to affect with nausea or disgust

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

• disgust
• sicken
• repulse
• appal
• appall
• horrify

Examples of nauseate in a Sentence

The smell of gasoline nauseates me.

It nauseated him to see the way the animals were treated.

Recent Examples on the Web

The sound that accompanies his subsequent mechanical breakdown is every bit as nauseating as the show's more organic moments. —Richard Edwards, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2025

The injury was so graphic and so nauseating that hall of famer Jason Taylor’s wife leapt back into her seat in the former Dolphin’s suite. —Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 2 Oct. 2025

When the food came, Jon said he was too nauseated to eat more than a few bites. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025

You are nauseated by the smells. —Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for nauseate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

nauseate

verb

nau·​se·​ate ˈnȯ-zē-ˌ-āt  -sē-  -zhē- 

-shē-

nauseated; nauseating

: to affect or become affected with nausea or disgust

Medical Definition

nauseate

verb

nau·​se·​ate ˈnȯ-z(h)ē-ˌāt  -s(h)ē- 

nauseated; nauseating

intransitive verb

: to become affected with nausea

transitive verb

: to affect with nausea