отврати́тельный
otvratítelʹnyj
Disgusting in Russian is отврати́тельный (otvratítelʹnyj), with омерзи́тельный for something even more repulsive. If unsure, use отврати́тельный. Wiktionary also lists га́дкий (gádkij) and проти́вный (protívnyj).
Meaning: repulsive, distasteful (adj)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| отврати́тельный | otvratítelʹnyj |
| омерзи́тельный | omerzítelʹnyj |
| га́дкий | gádkij |
| проти́вный | protívnyj |
| паску́дный | paskúdnyj |
| ме́рзкий | mérzkij |
To react to something gross on the spot, people often just say Фу, yuck.
What does it mean word for word?
отврати́тельный comes from a verb meaning to turn away, as when you turn your eyes away in disgust.
Which one should you use?
омерзи́тельный is stronger and is used for things that cause intense nausea or moral outrage. проти́вный is milder, for a bad taste or an unpleasant person. га́дкий is colloquial, even childish, for something nasty. паску́дный describes vile, dishonest character or actions rather than a physical sensation. ме́рзкий is another common synonym.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective agrees with its noun, so the feminine form is отврати́тельная.
How do you pronounce it?
Following the romanization otvratítelʹnyj, the stress falls on the third syllable.
Did you know?
- The word ме́рзкий shares the same root as the Russian word for 'freezing', мёрзнуть. In old Russian, the sensation of extreme cold was conceptually linked to the shivering shudder of disgust.
- Russian has a specific word брезгливость for the trait of being easily disgusted. There is no single English equivalent, as it describes the personality trait of being 'squeamish' or 'fastidious' about cleanliness.
- The exclamation Фу! is so versatile that it can be used as a command to a dog to stop doing something 'disgusting' or 'wrong', similar to 'shame' or 'bad dog' in English.
Examples in context
- Этот запах отвратительный.This smell is disgusting.
- Она испортила всю компанию своим омерзительным поведением.She ruined the whole company with her disgusting behavior.
- Какой гадкий вкус у этого блюда!What a disgusting taste this dish has!
- Фу, какой ужасный запах!Yuck, what a terrible smell!
- Ты видел этого противного человека?Have you seen that disgusting person?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “disgusting” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
