What does faugh mean?
Faugh is an exclamation used to voice disgust, contempt, or revulsion, most commonly directed at an offensive smell or taste but also extended to express scorn at morally repugnant behaviour. It functions purely as an interjection, punctuating speech rather than conveying propositional meaning, and is usually set off with an exclamation mark to capture its abrupt, forceful delivery. The word dates back to the seventeenth century in English and is imitative in origin — a natural vocalisation of retching or spitting out something unpleasant. Though once a familiar feature of everyday speech and dialogue in fiction, it has since fallen largely out of common use, surviving mainly in literary works, historical novels, and the occasional comic invocation. Compared with its modern cousin 'ugh', faugh carries a distinctly sharper edge: where ugh suggests weary displeasure, faugh implies outright rejection, even aristocratic disdain. For readers of older English literature, recognising it is essential to understanding characters' moments of strongest aversion.
interjectionUsed to express disgust, contempt, or strong aversion; an exclamation of revulsion at a smell, taste, or moral offensiveness.
- An exclamation expressing disgust or revulsion, especially at a foul smell or taste.
- An exclamation expressing moral outrage or contempt.
"'Faugh!' she cried, recoiling from the reeking bin."
"Faugh! The milk has gone utterly sour."
"He cried 'faugh!' at the hypocrisy of the whole arrangement."
'Faugh' has been the English language's go-to sound of disgusted contempt for over three centuries — one syllable, pure revulsion.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of faugh
Faugh is first attested in English writing in the early seventeenth century and is generally considered imitative in origin — an onomatopoeic rendering of the sound of gagging, retching, or expelling breath in disgust. It belongs to a small family of expressive interjections (alongside bah, pah, and pooh) whose force lies in their raw vocal character rather than any semantic derivation. No true cognates from a shared root exist, as the word arose directly from natural human sounds of revulsion.
How faugh is actually used
Faugh is now largely archaic or literary, appearing most often in older novels and historical fiction. It carries a stronger note of contempt than the more casual modern 'ugh', often suggesting disdain as much as physical revulsion. It is typically written with an exclamation mark to convey its forceful, exclamatory nature.
Easily confused with faugh
Faux is an adjective meaning artificial or imitation (from French), while faugh is an interjection expressing disgust.