Polyglot Dictionary

übel

/ˈyːbl̩/

adjective B1

der (masc.) die (fem.) das (neut.)

Underline = a spelling pattern that usually signals that gender.

Adj Register Neutral Era Current Frequency Common Domain General Tone Negative

Meaning

  1. nauseous, sick (feeling), bad

    Often "mir ist übel" (I feel sick/nauseous); can also mean "bad" in a moral sense.

    • Mir ist ganz übel.

      I feel really sick.

Similar words

flau

Flau is a milder queasiness, feeling slightly off, or a market/mood being slack; übel is stronger, properly nauseous or sick-feeling.

Similar in other languages

French

nauséabond

Close — nauseous, sick relates to a nauseating smell.

Spanish

enfermo

übel (nauseous, sick-feeling) and Spanish enfermo (ill) both describe the same kind of physical unwellness.

Practice

1 What does übel mean?

2 Fill the gap: Mir ist ganz ___.

3 Which fingerprint chart matches übel?

adjective

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