What does airsickness mean?
Airsickness is the nausea, dizziness, and general malaise that some people experience while traveling in an aircraft, particularly when the plane encounters turbulence or makes abrupt changes in speed and direction. It belongs to the broader family of motion sicknesses, arising from a conflict between what the inner ear senses about movement and what the eyes perceive — a mismatch the brain interprets as a sign of illness. The word combines 'air' with 'sickness' and is closely related to terms like seasickness and carsickness, which describe the same phenomenon in other vehicles. Airsickness is common enough that airlines stock paper bags in seat pockets for exactly this purpose, and remedies range from choosing seats over the wings, where motion is mildest, to anti-nausea medications and acupressure bands. Though unpleasant, it is harmless for most travelers and typically fades once the flight ends or the body adapts to the motion.
nounA feeling of nausea and discomfort caused by the motion of an aircraft in flight, especially during turbulence.
- Nausea and dizziness brought on by the motion of an aircraft, especially during turbulence, takeoff, or landing.
"She took a motion-sickness tablet before boarding, knowing that even mild turbulence triggered her airsickness."
"The pilot announced rough air ahead, and several passengers began to feel the first signs of airsickness."
"Frequent flyers often learn that sitting over the wings, where motion is least pronounced, helps prevent airsickness."
Airsickness is an uncountable noun and does not have a plural form; it refers to a condition rather than countable items.
"He suffers from airsickness on long flights."
The humble paper 'airsickness bag' has become such a design icon that collectors trade rare vintage versions — some fetching hundreds of dollars.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of airsickness
Airsickness is a modern English compound formed from 'air' and 'sickness,' coined once powered flight made airborne travel widespread in the early twentieth century. It follows the pattern of the much older 'seasickness,' which dates back centuries of maritime travel, and later parallels like 'carsickness.' Its components trace to Old English: 'air' ultimately derives from Greek 'aēr' via Latin, while 'sick' comes from Old English 'seoc,' meaning ill or unwell. Cognate compounds exist across languages that adopted aviation early, reflecting the shared experience of early passengers.
Related word forms
How airsickness is actually used
Airsickness is a neutral, everyday term used in both medical and casual contexts. It is understood as a specific form of motion sickness; in formal medical writing it may be grouped under 'motion sickness' or 'kinetosis.' The adjective form is 'airsick,' and the compound is fully standard in both British and American English.
Easily confused with airsickness
Seasickness is nausea caused by the motion of a boat or ship, whereas airsickness is caused specifically by the motion of an aircraft.
Altitude sickness results from reduced oxygen at high elevations, not from motion, while airsickness is a form of motion sickness experienced during flight.