Meaning & use

queasy

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈkwiːzi/
US/ˈkwiːzi/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Feeling slightly sick, as if you might vomit.

    Grammar: Gradable: you can be 'a bit queasy' or 'very queasy'.

    Patterns

    • feel queasy
    • be queasy

    I felt queasy after riding the roller coaster.

    The smell of the fish made her queasy.

    He gets queasy on long car trips.

  2. adjectivecomparable

    Feeling uneasy, anxious, or doubtful about something.

    Grammar: Often followed by 'about': queasy about the plan.

    Patterns

    • queasy about something
    • feel queasy about doing something

    She felt queasy about signing the contract without reading it.

    I'm a little queasy about lending him my car.

    He had a queasy feeling that something was wrong.

Word forms

comparativequeasier
superlativequeasiest

Common combinations

feel queasy
I feel queasy whenever I smell gasoline.
a queasy feeling
A queasy feeling came over me before the exam.
make someone queasy
The bumpy flight made several passengers queasy.
queasy about
She was queasy about moving to a new city.

Synonyms and how they differ

nauseous
More formal and stronger; it means feeling sick or causing sickness. 'Queasy' is milder and more everyday.
sick
A general word for feeling ill; 'queasy' specifically suggests stomach upset.
uneasy
Used for mental worry, not stomach trouble; 'queasy' can cover both but often physical.

Opposites

Word family

queasily adverb
In a queasy manner.
queasiness noun
The state of feeling queasy.

Commonly confused: queasy or queen? queasy or easy?

queasy vs queen

A queen is a female ruler; 'queasy' means feeling sick. They sound similar but are unrelated.

queasy vs easy

Easy means not difficult; queasy means feeling sick. The spelling is different.

Practice

Choose the correct word: 'After eating too much cake, I felt a bit ____.'

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