disgust

disgust — noun

1. a powerful, unpleasant feeling of shock and strong dislike that comes when you s

1.nounB2
Definition

a powerful, unpleasant feeling of shock and strong dislike that comes when you see or experience something morally wrong, physically repulsive, or deeply offensive.

Example

The villagers watched in disgust as the factory dumped waste into the river.

in disgust — describes the manner of reacting

Trang felt a wave of disgust when she found mold growing on the bread.

Common collocations
  • deep disgust
  • utter disgust
  • complete disgust
  • feel disgust
  • express disgust
  • hide disgust
  • fill with disgust
  • shake with disgust
Synonyms
  • revulsion

    more physical and sudden; often describes a bodily recoil

  • repulsion

    emphasises being driven away by something offensive

  • distaste

    milder; describes polite dislike based on personal preference

  • loathing

    stronger and more personal; combines hatred with disgust

Antonyms
  • delight

    a feeling of great pleasure and satisfaction

  • admiration

    respect and warm approval for someone or something

Grammar Patterns

in [someone's] disgust

to [someone's] disgust

disgust at/with [something]

Usage Note

Frequently used in fixed phrases: in disgust (describing how someone reacts) and to someone's disgust (expressing whose feeling is triggered). The noun is often followed by at (disgust at a situation) or with (disgust with a person or thing).

Common Mistakes

She felt disgust when her coworker got promoted instead of her.
She felt anger when her coworker got promoted instead of her.
disgust involves moral or physical revulsion, not jealousy.

disgust — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Disgust, revulsion, repulsion, distaste, and loathing all describe negative reactions, but they differ in intensity and cause. Disgust (B2) is the general term for the sickening feeling caused by something morally wrong or physically offensive. Revulsion (C1) is a sudden, violent recoiling — more physical and immediate. Repulsion (C1) focuses on the sense of being driven away. Distaste (B2) is much milder — a refined, polite dislike based on personal preference, not moral judgment. Loathing (C1) is the most intense: deep hatred mixed with disgust, often directed at a person or an ideology. For example: 'The kitchen's filth filled her with disgust; she stepped back in revulsion; but her distaste for mushrooms was simply a matter of taste. Her loathing for the cruel landlord ran much deeper.'

disgust ↗revulsionrepulsiondistasteloathing

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in disgust
  • with disgust
  • to someone's disgust
  • a wave of disgust
  • a look of disgust

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Disgust comes from the Latin prefix dis- ('apart, away, opposite of') combined with gustus ('taste'). The original meaning in French (desgouster) was literally 'to have a bad taste in the mouth', and the word later broadened in English to cover moral and emotional revulsion as well as physical distaste.