What does carsickness mean?
Carsickness is the nausea, dizziness, and general malaise that some people experience while travelling in a car. It belongs to the broader family of motion sicknesses, which arise when the brain receives conflicting signals: the inner ear detects movement, but if the eyes focus on something stationary — such as a book or phone screen — the mismatch triggers discomfort. Symptoms commonly include queasiness, cold sweats, headache, and sometimes vomiting, and they tend to be worse on winding roads or stop-and-go traffic. Children are especially susceptible, though many outgrow it with age. Practical remedies include sitting in the front seat, looking at the horizon, getting fresh air, and avoiding reading while in motion. The word itself combines 'car' with 'sickness' and parallels terms like seasickness and airsickness, making its meaning instantly transparent even to those encountering it for the first time.
nounNausea and dizziness caused by the motion of riding in a car, a form of motion sickness.
- Nausea, dizziness, and discomfort caused by the motion of riding in a car.
"She kept her eyes fixed on the horizon to ward off carsickness on the winding mountain road."
"The long, winding drive through the hills left him battling carsickness for hours."
"Sitting in the front seat and looking at the distant road often helps prevent carsickness."
Carsickness is normally uncountable and has no plural form; quantities are expressed periphrastically, e.g. 'episodes of carsickness'.
"He suffered repeated episodes of carsickness during childhood."
Your inner ear thinks you're moving, your eyes think you're still — carsickness is literally your senses arguing with each other.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of carsickness
Carsickness is a straightforward compound of 'car', ultimately from Latin 'carrus' meaning a wheeled vehicle, and 'sickness', from Old English 'seocnes'. It formed by analogy with the earlier compounds seasickness and airsickness as automobile travel became widespread in the early twentieth century. It shares its root pattern with other compound sickness terms rather than deriving from any single classical root of its own.
How carsickness is actually used
Carsickness is a common, neutral term used in everyday speech and medical contexts alike. It is typically uncountable, though it can occasionally appear with an indefinite article ('a mild carsickness'). In British English, 'travel sickness' is often preferred as the general term.
Easily confused with carsickness
Seasickness is motion sickness specifically from being on a boat or ship, while carsickness arises from travelling in an automobile.