What does sickening mean?
Sickening describes something that causes intense disgust, revulsion, or horror. It can refer to a physical experience, such as an offensive smell, or to conduct, images, and events that appall people. The adjective is more emotionally charged than disgusting and often suggests that something is so unpleasant or shocking that it produces a strong physical or moral reaction. As a verb, sickening means causing someone to feel ill or overwhelmed with disgust. The word is especially common in reports of cruelty, violence, inequality, and other disturbing subjects, as well as descriptions of intensely unpleasant sensory experiences. Although it is sometimes used informally for exaggerated reactions, its standard force is serious and unequivocal.
Causing intense disgust, revulsion, or horror; horrifying or repellent.
"The workers were exposed to a sickening chemical odor."
The adjective is strongly evaluative and commonly describes cruelty, violence, poverty, and other profoundly disturbing conditions or actions.
To make someone feel ill or, figuratively, to fill someone with disgust or dismay.
"The revelation sickened the community."
The verb is often used figuratively in emotional and moral contexts: a story or incident may sicken its audience or readers.
Sickening turns the idea of feeling sick into a powerful description of something so awful that it makes people recoil.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sickening come from?
Sickening is formed from the adjective sick and the suffix -ening, giving it the sense of causing disgust or revulsion. The underlying adjective sick comes from Old English, where it referred to illness or physical weakness, and is related to words such as sickness and sickly. The verb sickening developed both physical and figurative uses, with the latter becoming especially prominent in modern English.
Related word forms
How sickening is actually used
Sickening is strongly expressive and is often used for particularly offensive, disgusting, or morally shocking things. It is more intense than simply disgusting and is commonly used in journalism, criticism, and emotional personal testimony.
Easily confused with sickening
Sick usually means ill or affected by a health problem, whereas sickening describes something that causes disgust, revulsion, or intense dismay.