English Reference
adjective

disgusting

adj.
US /dɪsˈɡəstɪŋ/ UK /dɪsɡˈʌstɪŋ/ dis·gust·ing

  1. 01 A2 Elementary

    extremely unpleasant to see, smell, or taste, making you feel sick.

    eliciting a strong physical sense of revulsion or nausea.

    Simple

    The smell of the old milk in the fridge was absolutely disgusting.

    In context

    The kitchen was in a disgusting state, with piles of unwashed plates and scraps of rotting food covering every surface.

    Pitfall
    I am very disgusting by this smell. I am very disgusted by this smell.

    Use 'disgusting' to describe the thing that causes the feeling, and 'disgusted' to describe how you feel.

  2. 02 B1 Intermediate

    very bad or unfair in a way that makes you feel angry.

    arousing strong moral indignation or social disapproval.

    Simple

    It is disgusting that some people have no home while others have so much.

    In context

    The CEO's decision to cut staff wages while increasing his own bonus was widely condemned as disgusting by the public.


By surface analysis, disgust + -ing.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Common
Updated