Translation guide
Describes something that causes disgust, revulsion, or a feeling of illness. Can be physical (nausea) or moral/emotional (disgust).
Express that something is morally repulsive, disgusting, or makes you feel sick emotionally.
Common colloquial phrase meaning 'disgusting' or 'makes me sick'. Literally 'chest-crap bad'. Strong emotional disgust.
That news is sickening.
Literally 'induces nausea'. Used for both physical and emotional disgust. More formal than 胸くそ悪い.
His behavior is sickening.
Casual verb meaning 'to feel disgusted/irritated'. Often used for personal annoyance or disgust.
Hearing that story makes me sick.
Formal expression meaning 'to feel a sense of disgust/revulsion'. Used in writing or formal speech.
I felt a sense of revulsion at the sight.
Describe a smell, taste, or sight that makes you feel physically sick or want to vomit.
Emphasize that something is extremely bad, unpleasant, or shocking in a way that metaphorically makes you sick.
Expresses a shudder of horror or disgust. 'Makes me shudder'.
I was sickened by the cruel footage.
Means 'to be fed up' or 'sick and tired' of something. More about exasperation than disgust.
I'm sickened by his excuses.
胸くそ悪い is stronger and specifically refers to moral/emotional disgust (like 'makes my blood boil'). 気持ち悪い is broader and often used for physical grossness or creepy feelings. Use 胸くそ悪い for outrage, 気持ち悪い for 'eww'.
Seeing injustice makes me sick.
Cockroaches are gross.
Avoid directly translating 'sickening' as 病気にする (to make ill). That means to cause an actual disease, not disgust. Use the expressions above instead.
General term for 'gross' or 'makes me feel sick'. Very common in casual speech.
That food is sickening.