Last night, my wife explained how she had felt sick to her stomach earlier in the day. After she told her story, I thanked her for using the right word: nauseated.
I’ll admit I’m a bit of a word snob sometimes. When people tell me they feel nauseous, my internal dialogue says, “Yes you are.” You see, there’s a big difference between being nauseous and being nauseated. One means “something that causes nausea” and the other “to be afflicted with nausea.”
As the dictionaries show, the distinction is blurred in common use, but as a writer, I’m always looking for the most accurate way to explain a situation. If you make other people sick to their stomachs, say you’re nauseous. If you feel sick to your stomach, say you’re nauseated. If you can’t remember the difference, I’d prefer you use a different expression entirely. Unless you want word snobs like me to laugh at you.