Disgusted

How to spell disgusted

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce disgusted

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does disgusted mean?

1. adjectiveFeeling strong revulsion, distaste, or moral disapproval toward something.
2. verbPast tense of disgust: caused someone to feel revulsion or strong distaste.

Disgusted in a sentence

• adjective

  She was disgusted by the state of the rented flat when she arrived.

• verb

  The corruption scandal disgusted everyone who read the report.

• adjective

  Many voters felt disgusted at the constant broken promises.

• verb

  The smell from the drains disgusted the inspectors during the visit.

Where does disgusted come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin gustare, meaning 'to taste', and its related noun gustus, 'a taste' or 'flavour'. The verb 'disgust' was formed by attaching the prefix dis-, which reverses or negates, so the literal idea was something tasting bad or being distasteful. English picked it up around the late 1500s, partly through Middle French desgouster and the Italian disgustare, both carrying the sense of spoiling someone's appetite. Over time the meaning broadened from physical revulsion at food to moral and emotional revulsion of any kind. The same Latin taste-root still sits inside the cheerful word 'gusto', meaning hearty enjoyment, which is a useful reminder that the silent connection to taste is buried in the middle of the spelling.

How the word is built

• dis- (away, reversal)
• gust (from Latin gustus: taste)
• -ed (past participle/adjective suffix)