Nauseous means you're sickening, doesn't it? Isn't feeling the urge to throw up properly, "I'm feeling nauseated"? How did the wrong word become the popularly misused one? "I'm nauseous" means you're making ME want to throw up doesn't it? Did I miss the English class about 'nausea'?
2007-11-07 15:30:46 · 5 answers · asked by Sarrafzedehkhoee 7 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
You're mostly right, but usage grows and changes. Historically, we are nauseous TO others and are nauseated BY others. See link:
2007-11-07 15:42:30 · answer #1 · answered by One Love 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nauseous/ feeling nauseated means you are feeling ill to your stomach.
"You're nauseating" means another person or their ideas makes you feel that way. In other words, "You're sick."
Roget's thesaurus gives this entry:
Roget's New Millennium⢠Thesaurus - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: nauseous
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: disgusting
Synonyms: abhorrent, barfy, brackish, detestable, distasteful, ill, loathsome, nauseated, nauseating, offensive, pukey, pukish, queasy, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, rocky*, seasick, sick, sickening, squeamish
Antonyms: charming, pleasing
Notes: nauseated means feeling about to vomit, while nauseous means causing or able to cause nausea
2007-11-08 00:04:56 · answer #2 · answered by jan51601 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nauseous - Feeling sickly (sickening) or disgusted. (I'm nauseous.) Or causing to feel sickly (sickening) or disgusted. (That most nauseous odor.)
Nauseating - Making one feel sickly or disgusted. (That odor is nauseating.)
Nauseated - Having been made sickly (sickening) or disgusted.
More information at http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nauseous for more accurate definitions and usage.
2007-11-07 23:41:51 · answer #3 · answered by Norak D 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you're nauseous, it does mean that you're feeling as if you want to vomit.
When someone says "I'm nauseous", though, they're saying this, basically: "I feel like I'm going to throw up.", not "You make me want to throw up."
Now, if someone says to you, "You make me nauseous!", then that's a whole different story...
2007-11-07 23:38:04 · answer #4 · answered by Din-din 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
nauseating is different from nauseous.
You are nauseous = you feel sick
You are nauseating = you make others feel sick
2007-11-07 23:38:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋