nauseate

/ˈnɔːzieɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈnɔːzieɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈnȯ-zhē-ˌāt -shē- -zē- -sē-/ (ame, mw)

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.動詞及物C1
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

文法句型

something nauseates someone

be nauseated by something

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.動詞及物C1
釋義

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.

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • delight

    opposite reaction: to give great pleasure rather than revulsion

文法句型

something nauseates someone

be nauseated by something

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.