INDEX:
1. unpleasant person/behaviour
2. an unpleasant experience
3. an unpleasant taste or smell
4. an unpleasant sound
5. the feeling you have when you think something is very unpleasant
6. to seem very unpleasant to someone
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ NICE
see also
↑ DISLIKE
↑ HATE
◆◆◆
1. unpleasant person/behaviour
▷ horrible /ˈhɒrɪb ə l, ˈhɒrəb ə lǁˈhɔː-, ˈhɑː-/ [adjective] especially British
behaving in a very rude, unkind, or annoying way :
▪ Her husband was a horrible man - lazy, and always drunk.
▪ I really don’t like her at all - she’s horrible!
be horrible to somebody
▪ I think I’ll go out if you’re just going to be horrible to me.
▷ unpleasant /ʌnˈplez ə nt/ [adjective]
rude or unfriendly in the way you talk to people or answer their questions :
▪ That man in the grocery store is always so unpleasant.
▪ Did she really say that? What an unpleasant person!
be unpleasant to somebody
▪ You shouldn’t have been so unpleasant to her - she was only trying to help.
▷ nasty /ˈnɑːstiǁˈnæsti/ [adjective]
someone who is nasty has a very unpleasant character and is often unkind to people :
▪ I’d avoid him. if I were you. He can be quite nasty.
▪ My first boss was a really nasty person, who seemed to enjoy making life difficult for everyone.
be nasty to/towards somebody
▪ Some of the older boys were being very nasty to him.
▷ mean /miːn/ [adjective] American
rude and unkind in the way you treat people :
▪ We soon found out that our new teacher could be real mean.
be mean to somebody
▪ Sharon and the others were really mean to me at school today.
▷ not very nice /nɒt veri ˈnaɪs/ [adjective phrase not before noun] especially spoken
unkind or unfriendly - use this especially about things people say to each other :
▪ They just told us to shut up, which wasn’t very nice.
not very nice of somebody
▪ It wasn’t very nice of him to have a party without inviting me.
▷ obnoxious/objectionable /əbˈnɒkʃəsǁ-ˈnɑːk-, əbˈdʒekʃ ə nəb ə l/ [adjective]
rude and offensive, especially deliberately Objectionable is more formal than obnoxious :
▪ I’d hate to be her secretary -- she’s so obnoxious.
▪ You’re behaving like a spoilt obnoxious child.
▪ I’d never have employed him if I’d realized what an objectionable person he was.
▪ What was most objectionable about her was her arrogance.
▷ creep /kriːp/ [countable noun] informal
someone who you dislike because they are unpleasant and behave in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable :
▪ Get out of here you little creep! You make me sick!
▪ He didn’t say that, did he? What a creep!
▷ nasty piece of work /ˌnɑːsti piːs əv ˈwɜːʳkǁˌnæsti-/ [noun phrase] informal
someone who is very unpleasant and is likely to behave in a cruel or violent way :
▪ Casey and Wyatt went round in a gang with Don, who was a nasty piece of work.
▪ Why would anyone want to kill Howard, do you think?‘ ’It’s obvious. He was a nasty piece of work."
2. an unpleasant experience
▷ horrible /ˈhɒrɪb ə l, ˈhɒrəb ə lǁˈhɔː-, ˈhɑː-/ [adjective]
a horrible experience or situation is one that makes you feel very worried and upset :
▪ It was really horrible coming home and finding all our things had been stolen.
▪ There was a horrible moment when she thought she had left all her files on the train.
▷ nasty /ˈnɑːstiǁˈnæsti/ [adjective]
horrible - use this especially about events where there is violence, injury, or death :
▪ There was a nasty accident on the freeway and seven people were killed.
▪ a particularly nasty murder case
▪ The news of his death came as a very nasty shock.
▷ unpleasant /ʌnˈplez ə nt/ [adjective]
making you feel slightly worried, uncomfortable, or embarrassed :
▪ I had an unpleasant feeling that someone was following me.
▪ Phil and Jane argued the whole time, so it was a pretty unpleasant evening.
▪ Then Nel lost her temper and there was an extremely unpleasant scene in Kenwood’s office.
▷ not very nice /nɒt veri ˈnaɪs/ [adjective phrase not before noun] especially spoken
unpleasant :
▪ It’s not very nice being stuck in an elevator for an hour.
▪ Divorce is not a very nice business.
▷ nightmare /ˈnaɪtmeəʳ/ [singular noun]
a very unpleasant or frightening experience :
▪ We were stuck in a traffic jam for about four hours - it was a nightmare.
▪ The couple’s honeymoon turned into a nightmare when Martin suddenly became very ill.
nightmare day/journey etc
▪ Thousands of commuters faced a nightmare journey to work because of the strikes.
nightmare scenario
the worst possible situation
▪ An oil spill on this part of the coast is the conservationists’ nightmare scenario.
3. an unpleasant taste or smell
▷ horrible/disgusting/revolting /ˈhɒrɪb ə l, ˈhɒrəb ə lǁˈhɔː-, ˈhɑː-, dɪsˈgʌstɪŋ, rɪˈvəʊltɪŋ/ [adjective]
very bad - use this especially to talk about things that taste, smell, or look really bad :
▪ It was the most disgusting meal I’ve ever eaten.
▪ He smiled showing his teeth, which were a revolting yellow colour.
▪ What a horrible smell!
▪ Dick had cooked a special stew, which looked and smelled revolting.
▷ unpleasant /ʌnˈplez ə nt/ [adjective]
tasting or smelling horrible :
▪ Undercooked potatoes taste unpleasant and can be harmful.
▪ Some animals give off an unpleasant odor that deters attackers.
▷ foul /faʊl/ [adjective]
a foul smell or taste is extremely bad, and is caused especially by waste or things decaying :
▪ There was a foul smell coming up from the river.
▷ gross /grəʊs/ [adjective] informal
very unpleasant - use this to talk about food, smells, or behaviour that you dislike very much :
▪ Ooh, gross! I hate spinach!
▪ Brad threw up on the floor at the party. It was really gross.
▷ not very nice British /not very good/not too good /nɒt veri ˈnaɪs, nɒt veri ˈgʊd, nɒt tuː ˈgʊd/ [adjective phrase not before noun] spoken
a taste or smell that is not very nice or not very good is slightly unpleasant :
▪ This cheese isn’t very good. How long have we had it?
▪ The first time I smoked a cigarette it didn’t taste very nice.
▪ I wouldn’t cook that if I were you. It doesn’t smell too good.
▷ nasty /ˈnɑːstiǁˈnæsti/ [adjective]
tasting or smelling very strong and unpleasant :
▪ I’m not very keen on this wine. It has a nasty aftertaste.
▪ Police were alerted when neighbors complained of a nasty smell coming from the basement.
▪ Cheap perfume often smells nasty after a couple of hours.
▷ unappetizing /ʌnˈæpɪtaɪzɪŋ, ʌnˈæpətaɪzɪŋ/ [adjective]
a meal or food that is unappetizing has an unpleasant appearance or smell and does not make you want to eat it :
▪ The soup was cold and unappetizing, but it was all there was.
▪ The main course was an unappetizing leg of chicken with boiled potatoes.
4. an unpleasant sound
▷ harsh /hɑːʳʃ/ [adjective]
a sound that is harsh is unpleasant, rough, and usually loud :
▪ Cheap loudspeakers often produce a harsh metallic tone.
▪ ‘You’ll do what I tell you,’ he said, his voice harsh in her ear.
▪ The wind made a harsh wailing sound in the trees.
▷ grating /ˈgreɪtɪŋ/ [adjective]
a sound that is grating is unpleasant, and is often produced by two rough things rubbing together :
▪ The machine began to spin faster and faster, with the grating screech of metal on metal.
▪ We could hear a group of tourists, talking in loud grating voices.
grate [intransitive verb]
▪ I can’t stand the sound of chalk grating on a blackboard.
▷ sickening /ˈsɪkənɪŋ, ˈsɪknɪŋ/ [adjective]
a sickening sound is very unpleasant and makes you feel physically sick - use this especially about the sound when someone is badly hurt or something is badly damaged :
▪ His head hit the door with a sickening thud.
▪ There was a sickening crash and the sound of broken glass as the two trains collided.
5. the feeling you have when you think something is very unpleasant
▷ disgust /dɪsˈgʌst, dɪz-/ [uncountable noun]
▪ Martia gave him a look of disgust, and walked away.
▪ Disgust at cruel sports has come to be a common feature of British life.
in disgust
feeling disgust
▪ She held the glass away from her in disgust. ‘What’s this awful stuff you’ve given me to drink?’
▷ revulsion /rɪˈvʌlʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
a strong, sudden feeling of shock and disgust :
▪ A little boy had died and, as a mother, I felt horror and revulsion.
revulsion at
▪ Holly was unable to hide her revulsion at what she had just read.
revulsion against
▪ What we are now seeing is a public revulsion against violence in society.
a feeling/sense/wave of revulsion
▪ News of the atrocities produced a wave of anger and revulsion.
▷ disgusted /dɪsˈgʌstɪd, dɪsˈgʌstəd, dɪz-/ [adjective]
feeling shocked and angry at something you think is very wrong, cruel, unpleasant etc :
▪ Ann was disgusted when she saw the dirty hotel room.
▪ Disgusted onlookers claimed that the man was more concerned about his car than the victims of the crash.
disgusted at
▪ Many people are disgusted at the continuing slaughter of dolphins.
disgusted by
▪ He ate noisily and greedily. I tried hard not to be disgusted by his manners.
disgusted with
▪ I was absolutely disgusted with the way our fans behaved.
▷ sickened /ˈsɪkənd/ [adjective]
very shocked and angry at something such as violence or suffering :
▪ Country vets aren’t easily sickened, but I felt my stomach turning when I saw the state of the dog.
▪ Sickened detectives said the old lady was lucky to be alive after such a brutal attack.
▷ nauseated /ˈnɔːzieɪtɪd, ˈnɔːzieɪtəd, -si-ǁ-zi-, -ʒi-/ [adjective not before noun]
if you are nauseated by something, it is so unpleasant that it makes you feel physically sick :
▪ The thought of him kissing her made her feel nauseated.
▪ Recognizing the dead woman’s face, she turned away, nauseated.
6. to seem very unpleasant to someone
▷ disgust /dɪsˈgʌst, dɪz-/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
▪ His habit of sniffing loudly really disgusted her.
▪ The heat, the noise, the smell of the other passengers; everything about the subway disgusted him.
▪ ‘Get out,’ she said. ‘You disgust me!’
▷ revolt /rɪˈvəʊlt/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
if something revolts you, you think it is extremely unpleasant :
▪ I opened the door and was instantly revolted by the smell.
▪ He kissed her full on the lips in a way that revolted her.
▷ turn your stomach /ˌtɜːʳn jɔːʳ ˈstʌmək/ [verb phrase]
if something turns your stomach it makes you feel ill because it is so unpleasant or shocking :
▪ The sight of the dead body turned his stomach.
▪ The strike has meant piles of rotting garbage in the streets. ‘It’s enough to turn your stomach,’ said one resident.
▷ sicken /ˈsɪkən/ [transitive verb]
if something such as violence or suffering sickens you, it makes you feel ill and you wish you could stop it :
▪ The smell of the blood sickened her and she ran out of the room.
▪ ‘Some of the recent attacks on horses in this area are enough to sicken anyone,’ a police spokesman said.