Meaning of Idiom ‘Ad Nauseam’
Ad nauseam means continuing for an excessive period of time until people are tired of it; to ridiculous excess or a sickening degree. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Bengelsdorf, Peter. Idioms in the News – 1,000 Phrases, Real Examples. N.p.: Amz Digital Services, 2012.
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Usage
Ad nauseam is most often used about a particular subject that is being discussed.
Examples Of Use
“He’s talked about Jenny ad nauseam ever since they had a date. I wish he’d shut up about her already.”
“We hear about the need for bipartisan cooperation ad nauseam in Washington but it never seems to actually happen on a large scale.”
“This self-help guru went on and on, ad nauseam, about the power of the inner eye without once saying anything that made sense.”
Origin
Used since the early 1600s.
This idiom is a Latin term meaning to [the point of] nausea. It is one of many such Latin terms used in English, such as ad hoc or ad infinitum. 3Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
More Idioms Starting with A
More Latin Related Idioms
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- Pros and Cons
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- Die Is Cast, the
- Cross the Rubicon
- Call a Spade a Spade, to
- Beware Of Greeks Bearing Gifts
- Better The Devil You Know
Sources
| 1, 3. | ↲ | Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. |
| 2. | ↲ | Bengelsdorf, Peter. Idioms in the News – 1,000 Phrases, Real Examples. N.p.: Amz Digital Services, 2012. |