queasy

adjective

quea·​sy ˈkwē-zē 

variants or less commonly queazy

queasier; queasiest

1

a

: causing nausea

queasy motion

b

: suffering from nausea : nauseated

2

: full of doubt : hazardous

3

a

: causing uneasiness

b(1)

: delicate, squeamish

(2)

: ill at ease

queasily

ˈkwē-zə-lē 

adverb

queasiness

ˈkwē-zē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• ill
• nauseated
• nauseous
• qualmish
• queer
• queerish
• sick
• sickish
• squeamish

Examples of queasy in a Sentence

The boat ride made me a little queasy.

She complained of a queasy stomach.

He feels queasy about taking the test.

She had the queasy feeling that she was being watched.

Recent Examples on the Web

Taking a very principled character and putting him in a job that is very morally queasy was something that felt like a good evolution in Season 2. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 21 Jan. 2025

Any potential traveler to Antarctica who gets even the slightest bit queasy in rough waters views a sail to the White Continent with trepidation. —Laurie Werner, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024

Madeline and Helen’s meanness is both hilarious and queasy in a Joan Rivers way—finely crafted, and likely to leave you walking down the street worried about your own problem zones. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024

Flying can make some people queasy, especially when there’s unexpected turbulence. —Cheyenne Buckingham, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English coysy, qwesye

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

queasy

adjective

quea·​sy

variants also queazy

ˈkwē-zē 

queasier; queasiest

1

: somewhat nauseated

the boat ride made me queasy

2

: full of doubt

queasy about taking the test

queasily

-zə-lē 

adverb

queasiness

-zē-nəs 

noun