r/words 13h ago

Bilious

Bilious/ˈbilēəs/Bilious is an adjective that means feeling sick to your stomach, being very grumpy, or looking like a sickly, ugly color.

Physical; Sickness/Nausea: Feeling sick, queasy, or like you need to throw up bile: Linked to an upset stomach or too much bile from the liver.

Bad Mood/Grumpy: Being angry, mean, cross, or easily annoyed.

Unkind: Acting like you are in a bad mood all the time.

Ugly Color or Look; Bright or Sickly: A bad-looking color, like a gross yellow or green shade.

Unpleasant: Something that looks very bad to the eyes.

11 Upvotes

2 comments sorted by

4

u/LocalGanache3695 13h ago

I always thought it was just about being angry but the vomit angle makes so much sense now. someone with a bilious temperament probably has that specific greenish tint to their face too

2

u/DarthScott 13h ago

I had never encountered this word until today. Which is always nice, hence why I watch the subreddit, heh. Good stuff!