Pukiest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Most disgusting or sickening, looking or tasting as if it might provoke vomiting
2. Extremely revolting and nauseating, the most repellent of things of its kind
3. Describing something that is the most sickening or nauseous in appearance or taste

Etymology: "Pukiest" is the superlative of "puky," which describes something that looks or smells like vomit, or is sickening in a disgusting way. To reach it, English adds the "-iest" ending to "puky," following the same pattern used for "lazy" becoming "laziest" or "funny" becoming "funniest." The base word "puky" is itself an adjective formed from "puke," the verb meaning to vomit. Its exact origin is uncertain, and the verb is generally thought to be of informal, imitative character, which is why it has such a blunt, physical sound. Once "puke" had become common slang, it was a short step to giving it an adjective, and "puky" is the form that followed. Because "puky" is an informal adjective, its superlative appears mostly in casual speech and writing, where speakers want to rank something as the most nauseating of a group of things.

Synonyms: nauseating, sickening, disgusting