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dyspeptic

C2
noun
Rare

Pronunciation

UK

  • /dɪspˈɛptɪk/

US

  • /ˌdɪsˈpɛptɪk/

Meanings

Adjective

  1. having indigestion or disturbed digestion

  2. irritable, gloomy, or bad-tempered

Beyond the definition

Imagine Old Man Tiberius, forever scowling and complaining about everything from the weather to the price of turnips. He seems dyspeptic. Sometimes the word means someone is suffering from indigestion or an upset stomach. Just as often, though, it describes a person who is habitually gloomy, irritable, and hard to please, as if life itself has left a sour taste. A dyspeptic person is not just having a bad day; they seem to carry the bad day around with them. Think of Ebenezer Scrooge before his Christmas Eve change: sharp, unhappy, and plainly dyspeptic.

Examples

  1. 1

    Physical reaction

    After the rich hotel breakfast, he felt dyspeptic all morning.

  2. 2

    Sour mood

    The discussion turned dyspeptic as soon as someone mentioned the budget.

  3. 3

    Writing style

    He writes in a witty but dyspeptic style, as if the whole modern world annoys him.

See also

Similar

Shades of meaning

Contrast

Used with (collocations)

  • dyspeptic mood
  • dyspeptic critic
  • dyspeptic view

Word family

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Forms and spellings

2 forms open this card.

Main spelling

  • dyspepticnounadjective

Forms

  • dyspepticspluralnounadjective