ad nauseam

UK/ˌæd ˈnɔːziəm/US/ˌæd ˈnɔziəm/cot caught merger/ˌæd ˈnɑziəm/Inland Northern American/ˌæd ˈnɒziəm/

adverb

To a nauseating or sickening degree.

“A drunk person was repeating the same old story ad nauseam.”

Meanings

adverbad nauseam (not comparable)

alternative misspelling ad nauseum

  1. not comparableTo a nauseating or sickening degree.
  2. not comparableHaving been done or repeated so often that it has become annoying or tiresome.

    A drunk person was repeating the same old story ad nauseam.

    2 more examples

    The internet really is just nothing more than the same 3 sites sharing each others stuff ad nauseam

    The Feelings album flew off the shelves, and Albert became a pop sensation - until, thanks to airplay ad nauseam, radio listeners grew weary of his sentiments.

    1990, Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, →ISBN, page 325
adjectivead nauseam (not comparable)

alternative misspelling ad nauseum

  1. not comparableDone or repeated so often that it becomes annoying or tiresome.

    The Feelings album flew off the shelves, and Albert became a pop sensation—until, thanks to airplay ad nauseam, radio listeners grew weary of his sentiments.

    1990, Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, →ISBN, page 325

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

  1. Latinad nauseam
  2. Englishad nauseam

Unadapted borrowing from Latin ad nauseam, from ad (“to”) + nauseam (“sea-sickness, sickness, nausea”), accusative of nausea.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch ad nauseam
  • ad nauseamto a sickening degree
Finnish kyllästymiseen saakka
  • kyllästymiseen saakkato a sickening degree
French ad nauseam
  • ad nauseamto a sickening degree
German bis zum Geht-nicht-mehr
  • bis zum Geht-nicht-mehrto a sickening degree
Greek κατὰ κόρον
  • κατὰ κόρον (katá kóron)to a sickening degree
Hebrew עַד לְזָרָא
  • עַד לְזָרָא ('ad lezará)to a sickening degree
Hungarian a végtelenségig, unásig
  • a végtelenségigto a sickening degree
  • unásigto a sickening degree
  • unalomigto a sickening degree
  • orrvérzésigto a sickening degree
  • a csömörigto a sickening degree
  • vég nélkülto a sickening degree
  • a könyökén jön kito a sickening degree
Icelandic up að flökurleika, að flökurleika
  • up að flökurleikato a sickening degree
  • að flökurleikato a sickening degree
  • svo oft að manni býður við þvíto a sickening degree
  • svo oft að manni þyki meira en nóg umto a sickening degree
Italian ad oltranza, fino allo sfinimento
  • ad oltranzato a sickening degree
  • fino allo sfinimentoto a sickening degree
Latin ad nauseam
  • ad nauseamto a sickening degree
Polish do znudzenia
  • do znudzeniato a sickening degree
Portuguese ad nauseam
  • ad nauseamto a sickening degree
Spanish ad náuseam, hasta la náusea
  • ad náuseamto a sickening degree
  • hasta la náuseato a sickening degree
  • ad nauseamadjective
Swedish till leda
  • till ledato a sickening degree
Cite this entry
APA

ad nauseam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ad%20nauseam

MLA

“ad nauseam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ad%20nauseam. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ad nauseam,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ad%20nauseam.

Source: ad nauseam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.