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I've been trying to avoid using the two words "extreme/extremely" and "disgust/disgusted" in my sentences, but I can't find any appropriate substitute for "extremely disgusted".

I was thinking something along the lines of "abject horror" but that doesn't necessarily convey "disgust". Is there a more specific word that describes extreme disgust?

7
  • Jargon/Slang: Barfulation
    – SF.
    Sep 16, 2013 at 8:38
  • 1
    What kind of disgust are we talking about here? I can hear saccarine words, see gore, smell sewage, or taste fisheyes. All of these may be disgusting, but I wouldn't necessarily use the same substitute word for all of them.
    – J.R.
    Sep 16, 2013 at 15:05
  • @J.R. Disgusting enough to make you turn away, look away, recoil in horror, something like that. Not like a "ooh a dead fish", but "good lord what is that thing" kind of thing
    – yuritsuki
    Sep 17, 2013 at 4:58
  • 1
    You better include where you looked and what you found -- synonyms, superlatives, ... -- what comes closest to your context. That may not be the answer, but it shows your homework effort.
    – Kris
    Sep 17, 2013 at 7:13
  • 1
    Read some Lovecraft, every other sentence will give you another example :)
    – Chris H
    Sep 17, 2013 at 10:37

10 Answers 10

64

Revulsion would fit.

noun [mass noun]
1 a sense of disgust and loathing:
news of the attack will be met with sorrow and revulsion

[ODO]

Although it has a similar appearance and meaning to finding something revolting, it has a different etymology. If you are revolted your insides turn upside-down; revulsion means they are pulled apart.

2
  • 2
    I don't really think there's any "absolute scale" on which you can rate words like this, but I totally agree that for me personally at least, revulsion is stronger than repulsion. Sep 16, 2013 at 17:43
  • Revulsion is just too... not disgusting-sounding. All the consonants flow so smoothly that there just isn't that nuance to it. Oct 14, 2016 at 6:12
38

There are the terms loathing, defined as:

Strong dislike or disgust; intense aversion.

or abhorrence, defined as:

A feeling of extreme loathing or aversion.

A feeling of repugnance or loathing.

2
  • 3
    Disgust & loathing are not the same.
    – Kris
    Sep 17, 2013 at 7:11
  • @Kris But they can be substituted for each other, depending on the context. Oct 14, 2016 at 6:10
13

Many possible answers. The idea is often to use a word matching some physical reaction. I would probably pick one from the list below, depending on the nuance I actually want to express.

  • abhorence
  • abomination
  • aversion
  • detestation
  • loathing
  • nausea
  • outrage
  • repugnance
  • repulsion
  • revulsion
12

I believe the word you are looking for is "repulsive," which is defined as "arousing intense distaste or disgust" (from New Oxford American Dictionary).

If you, however, don't feel that it conveys the feeling of disgust enough, perhaps you might also want to add "intense/intensely" before the word.

1
  • 6
    "Repulsive" is an adjective describing something that creates a sensation of disgust, whereas "disgust" is a noun describing the sensation aroused in the observer of such an object. They are not equivalent parts of speech, nor are they equivalent in meaning. If you changed your answer to "repulsion," it would qualify as an equivalent part of speech. Sep 16, 2013 at 7:51
7

Revolting:

  1. Causing abhorrence or disgust.
  2. causing revulsion; nauseating, disgusting, or repulsive
1
  • I'm not sure about answering in this site: "revolting" is obviously a synonym of words from the other answers, but I think implies disgust in a clear way.
    – Kobi
    Sep 16, 2013 at 7:06
5

stomach-churning

if something is stomach-churning, it is extremely unpleasant and makes you feel sick

the stomach-churning extremes of physical torture.

vile

  1. wretchedly bad: a vile humor.

  2. highly offensive, unpleasant, or objectionable: vile slander.

  3. repulsive or disgusting, as to the senses or feelings: a vile odor.

  4. morally debased, depraved, or despicable: vile deeds.

  5. foul; filthy: vile language.

[dictionary.com]

2

There's the informal word squick which Oxford Online defines thus:

verb [with object] informal

cause immediate and thorough revulsion:was anyone else squicked by the potential adoptive parents?

noun

a person or thing that causes immediate and thorough revulsion.

From that squicked would describe the effect upon someone, and so on.

It originated in the BDSM community, as when people are deliberately engaginging in acts that would normally be considered unpleasant the issue of how what is particularly exciting to one person could be particularly disturbing to another is a vital consideration. From there it spread to several other communities though (e.g. tvtropes uses it for both audience and character reactions of disgust) but it may not be widely known.

Unfortunately, different communities seem to differ in just how disgusting they take "squick" to refer to.

0

odious

adjective Extremely unpleasant; repulsive.

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-1

Following are words which can be used:

  1. antipathy
  2. revulsion
  3. satiety
  4. abhorrence
  5. abomination
  6. repugnance
  7. detestation
  8. nauseating
1
  • 3
    Satiety looks like an intruder (that is what you feel want you have eaten enough and don't wan't more food), antipathy express something else (a mild form of hate, not disgust).
    – kriss
    Sep 16, 2013 at 8:53
-1

I would say : disgustful. A rarely used expression.

adjective

highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust; "a disgusting smell"; "distasteful language"; "a loathsome disease"; "the idea of eating meat is repellent to me"; "revolting food"; "a wicked stench"

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/disgustful

2
  • Downvoted without a comment is not useful Dec 27, 2013 at 4:00
  • It's rarely used for a reason, in my opinion. Oct 14, 2016 at 6:13

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