nauseous

UK: /ˈnɔːziəs/ US: /ˈnɔʃəs, -ziəs/ ,(nô′shəs, -zē əs)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

nau•seous /ˈnɔʃəs, -ziəs/   adj. 

1. Pathology affected with nausea or disgust:
   I feel nauseous.
2. Pathology causing nausea or disgust:
   a nauseous smell.

nau•seous•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

nau•seous  (nô′shəs, -zē əs), adj. 

1. Pathology affected with nausea;
   nauseated:
   to feel nauseous.
2. Pathology causing nausea;
   sickening;
   nauseating.
3. disgusting;
   loathsome:
   a nauseous display of greed.

• Latin nauseōsus. See nausea, -ous
• 1595–1605

nau′seous•ly, adv. 
nau′seous•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 3. revolting, nasty, repellent, abhorrent, detestable, despicable, offensive.

Antonyms

• 3. delightful.

Usage

The two literal senses of nauseous, "causing nausea'' (a nauseous smell) and "affected with nausea'' (to feel nauseous), 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.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

nauseous / ˈnɔːzɪəs -sɪ-/ adjective

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

ˈnauseously adverb

ˈnauseousness noun