nausea
B2Formal, medical, and general. More formal than 'feeling sick'.
Definition
Meaning
A feeling of sickness with an inclination to vomit.
A feeling of disgust, revulsion, or strong unease, not necessarily physical.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a noun. Can refer to physical illness or a metaphorical sense of disgust/rejection.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Spelling identical. Usage slightly more formal in everyday UK English; 'feeling sick' is more common for the physical sensation. In US English, 'nausea' is commonly used in medical and everyday contexts.
Connotations
Identical connotations of physical illness or disgust.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in US English due to common use in pharmaceutical commercials (e.g., 'may cause nausea').
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Nausea from + sourceNausea caused by + causeA feeling of nauseaTo suffer from nauseaVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A wave of nausea washed over him/her.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Possibly metaphorical: 'The new policy caused a wave of nausea among the staff.'
Academic
Common in medical/biological/psychological texts describing symptoms.
Everyday
Used to describe feeling unwell, often before vomiting. 'The smell of the rubbish gave me nausea.'
Technical
A common listed side effect in medicine/pharmacology; a symptom in clinical diagnoses.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The rocking of the boat began to nauseate the passengers.
- The graphic images nauseated everyone in the room.
American English
- The medication can nauseate some patients.
- His hypocrisy nauseates me.
adverb
British English
- The room spun nauseatingly.
- The politician's speech was nauseatingly hypocritical.
American English
- The car ride was nauseatingly bumpy.
- He smiled nauseatingly, knowing he had won.
adjective
British English
- She felt nauseous after the chemotherapy.
- The nauseous smell from the drain was unbearable.
American English
- I'm feeling nauseous—I think it was the shrimp.
- A nauseous feeling of dread filled the room.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The bad food made me feel nausea.
- She had nausea on the bus.
- He experienced sudden nausea after taking the medicine.
- The smell of petrol gives me a feeling of nausea.
- A wave of nausea overcame her as she stood up too quickly.
- Persistent nausea can be a symptom of various conditions.
- The sheer injustice of the verdict filled him with a profound sense of nausea.
- The drug's efficacy is often compromised by the severe nausea it induces in patients.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'NAU-sea' - as in feeling sick on a 'nautical' voyage at SEA.
Conceptual Metaphor
NAUSEA IS A LIQUID/WAVE ('A wave of nausea'), NAUSEA IS AN UNWANTED FORCE ('overcome by nausea').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'тошнота' which covers both 'nausea' and a stronger sense of 'disgust/sickening feeling'. English 'nausea' is more specific to the physical sensation preceding vomiting.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect pronunciation: /nɔːˈsiːə/ (it's /ˈnɔːziə/).
- Using it as a verb (*'It nauseas me' is wrong; correct: 'It nauseates me' or 'It makes me nauseous').
- Confusing 'nausea' (noun) with 'nauseous' (adjective).
Practice
Quiz
Which word is a direct synonym for 'nausea' in a medical context?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditionally, 'nauseated' meant 'feeling sick', and 'nauseous' meant 'causing sickness'. In modern usage, especially in American English, 'nauseous' is widely accepted for both meanings ('I feel nauseous').
Nausea is the sensation/urge to vomit. Vomiting (or emesis) is the physical act itself. You can have nausea without vomiting.
Yes, it is commonly used metaphorically. E.g., 'The corruption scandal filled the public with nausea.'
The standard pronunciation is /ˈnɔːziə/ (NAW-zee-uh). A less common variant, especially in the US, is /ˈnɔːʒə/ (NAW-zhuh).
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