adj
nauseous
NAW-zee-uhs
adj
1
Feeling like you are about to vomit; queasy.
"The turbulence made several passengers feel nauseous."
"I felt nauseous after eating too much cake."
2
Causing nausea; sickening.
"The nauseous fumes from the factory drifted over the town."
How to Use Nauseous
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishFeeling sick to your stomach — in casual modern English, used the same way as "nauseated."
Common mistake
Traditionalists insist "nauseous" should only mean "causing nausea" and "nauseated" should mean "feeling sick," but "I feel nauseous" is now standard in everyday speech.
Easily confused with
Word Forms
more nauseous comparative, most nauseous superlative
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The turbulence made several passengers feel _____.
Etymology
From Latin nauseosus, "causing nausea," from nausea plus the adjective ending -osus.