Wiktionary

sinking feeling

English edit

WOTD – 16 April 2024

Etymology edit

From sinking (noun) +‎ feeling (noun),[1] from the physical sensation.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

sinking feeling (plural sinking feelings)

  1. An unpleasant feeling in the abdomen caused by hunger or, especially, apprehension or uneasiness. [from early 19th c.]
    I have a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
    • 1818, Joseph Ayre, “Cases. Section III. [Case I. Thomas Jackson, Aged 37, from the Country, Admitted March 30th a Patient of the Dispensary.]”, in Practical Observations on the Nature and Treatment of Marasmus, […], London: […] [W. Ross] for Baldwin, Cradock and Joy, […], →OCLC, page 245:
      Appetite craving, but feels no better for the food which he eats, having always a sinking feeling at the stomach— […]
    • 1830, Miss M‘Leod [i.e., E. H. Macleod], chapter IX, in Belmont’s Daughter. […], volume III, London: […] [J. Darling] for A. K. Newman and Co., →OCLC, page 151:
      The danger was over, and Annabel, though dreadfully weak and reduced, was pronounced out of danger, and in a fair way of recovery, though her sinking feelings and wretched mind led her to suppose she should soon be no more—nor did the assurances of those who attended her serve, in any measure, to convince her she was safe.
    • 1834, Thy Kingdom Come (Religious Tracts; no. 105), Philadelphia, Pa.: […] William Stavely, […] [for the Episcopal Female Tract Society of Philadelphia for the Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church for the Advancement of Christianity in Philadelphia], →OCLC, page 2:
      I cannot tell them what a sickening, sinking feeling came over me when I saw men, my fellow-men bought and sold like horses: […]
    • 1840 January–July, Alfred Hudson, “[Article] 31.—On the Use of Nitrate of Silver in Some Affections of the Mucous Membrane.”, in W[illiam] Braithwaite, editor, The Retrospect of Practical Medicine and Surgery, […], 2nd American edition, number I, New York, N.Y.: Adee & Estabrook, […], published 1843, →OCLC, page 75:
      She had dragging pains in the loins; general weakness, especially in the back; sinking feelings in the stomach, and a craving for food, without appetite; her bowels are sluggish; tongue pale and flabby.
      From the Dublin Journal of Medical Science, May 1840, pages 234–243.
    • 1845, [anonymous; attributed to Richard Williams Morgan], chapter VIII, in The Fortunes of Roger de Flor; or, The Alumgavars, volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 145:
      Both were silent, for their hearts were full, and overcome with the sinking feeling of depression accompanying all associations with that melancholy word farewell!
    • [1846, George Capron, assisted by David B. Slack, “FEVER, CONTINUED”, in New England Popular Medicine: […], Providence, R.I.: J. F. Moore, […], →OCLC, page 260:
      A person, in an attack of this fever [i.e., “slow fever”], commonly feels a loss of strength, a loss of appetite, and a loss of mental activity. He realizes a heavy, indescribable, sinking feeling at the pit of the stomach.]
    • 1919 May–June, Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, chapter V, in A Damsel in Distress, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, published 1919, →OCLC, page 64:
      He dressed moodily, and left the room to go down to breakfast. Breakfast would at least alleviate this sinking feeling which was unmanning him.
    • [1938], Rajput [pseudonym; Arthur John Eardley Dawson], chapter 8, in Khyber Calling!, London: Hurst & Blackett, →OCLC, section 6, page 129:
      With a sinking feeling I realized it would be past midnight before we saw our bedding.
    • 2007, Rajnish Roy, “A Second Brain and Anxieties”, in Rewiring the Brain: Living without Stress and Anxiety through the Power of Consciousness, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 208:
      At one time or another, all of us have experienced butterflies in the stomach while approaching a challenging task like an interview for employment, or when one's name is announced for the stage as the next speaker. Such fluttering sensations of nervousness or sinking feelings of fear are also felt in the stomach when one has to face something ominous. Has it ever surprised us that though our brain is in the head, such feelings are felt in our stomach?
    • 2011, Kimberly Lang, chapter 1, in Girls’ Guide to Flirting with Danger, Richmond, Surrey: Harlequin Mills & Boon, →ISBN, page 10:
      Dr. Weiss's voice was understanding and kind, but that didn't stop the sinking feeling in Megan's stomach. "I think you should take some time off until it does [i.e., an incident blows over]." The sinking feeling became a twenty-story drop. "What?"

Related terms edit

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References edit

  1. ^ “sinking feeling, n.”, in OED Online  ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2023; “sinking feeling, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
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