nauseate

IPA/ˈnɔːzieɪt/
KK[nˈɔziˌet]IPA/ˈnɔːzieɪt/

nauseate — verb

  • nauseatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • nauseateshe / she / it
  • nauseatedpast simple
  • nauseating-ing form

1. to make someone feel that they may vomit, usually because of a smell, taste, or

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to make someone feel that they may vomit, usually because of a smell, taste, or motion.

Example

The smell of fried fish nauseated Nellie all through her first pregnancy.

something nauseates someone (subject = trigger)

Gabriel was nauseated by the rocking of the small boat across the bay.

passive: be nauseated by + cause

Common collocations
  • nauseated by the smell
  • be nauseated by motion
Synonyms
  • sicken

    very close in meaning; slightly more common in everyday British English

  • turn someone's stomach

    informal phrasal expression; can describe physical nausea or strong disgust

Grammar Patterns

something nauseates someone

be nauseated by something

Usage Note

Frequently passive: 'be nauseated by [smell/motion/food]'. Subject is typically a sensory trigger (smell, taste, motion) or a drug, not a person. Distinguish from sense 2, which describes moral or emotional disgust rather than physical nausea.

Common Mistakes

I nauseate when I read in the car.
I feel nauseated when I read in the car.
the verb takes the trigger as subject; the person who feels sick is the object.

2. to fill someone with deep disgust or moral horror, as if the thing were too revo

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to fill someone with deep disgust or moral horror, as if the thing were too revolting to bear — for example, witnessing cruelty, hypocrisy, or a vicious public comment.

Example

The senator's casual joke about the refugees nauseated Manuela for the rest of the day.

subject = morally offensive act

Dario was nauseated by the way the manager spoke to the cleaning staff.

passive with moral cause

Common collocations
  • nauseated by the behaviour
  • nauseated by the hypocrisy
Synonyms
  • disgust

    much more common; 'nauseate' is stronger and more formal, often suggesting visceral revulsion

  • revolt

    similar strength; slightly more dramatic, often used of cruelty or violence

  • appall

    focuses on shock and dismay rather than physical-feeling revulsion

Antonyms
  • delight

    opposite reaction: to give great pleasure rather than revulsion

Grammar Patterns

something nauseates someone

be nauseated by something

Usage Note

Used as a strong moral or emotional reaction, not literal sickness. Subject is usually an act, behaviour, or speech that the speaker condemns. Stronger than 'disgust' — implies the listener almost recoils from the thing.

Common Mistakes

The food nauseated me politically.
The senator's speech nauseated me.
sense 2 takes a moral or social trigger (an act, attitude, or statement), not a physical object like food.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

All five verbs describe a strong negative reaction, but they sit at different points on a scale. 'Disgust' is the everyday choice — common in speech and writing, and broad enough to cover anything from rude behaviour to spoiled food. 'Nauseate' is more formal and stronger; it suggests the listener almost feels physically ill, even when the trigger is moral. 'Revolt' is close to 'nauseate' in intensity, often used of cruelty or violence, and can sound a touch literary. 'Appall' focuses on shock and dismay — you are stunned that something so wrong could happen — rather than visceral revulsion. 'Sicken' overlaps with both 'nauseate' and 'disgust' and is the most flexible of the strong options. So: 'The cheating disgusted me' is neutral; 'The cheating nauseated me' implies a near-physical reaction.

nauseate ↗disgust ↗revolt ↗appallsicken

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the smell nauseates
  • the behaviour nauseates
  • the hypocrisy nauseates

Adverbs

  • deeply nauseate
  • absolutely nauseate

Phrases

  • be nauseated by
  • feel nauseated

Prepositions

  • nauseated by

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

From Latin 'nausea', meaning seasickness, which itself came from Greek 'nausia' (from 'naus' = ship). English borrowed the noun 'nausea' in the 14th century and formed the verb 'nauseate' in the early 1600s. The Greek roots show that the original idea was literally the queasy feeling of being at sea; the moral or emotional sense of 'finding something deeply revolting' developed later by extension.