Definition

Adjective: - Shocking to the ears; causing auditory discomfort: Describes a sound, word, or statement that is grating, unpleasant, jarring, or offensive to hear, often because it is crude, vulgar, or contrary to one's expectations or sensibilities. - Feeling uncomfortable upon hearing something shocking: Describes the subjective feeling of discomfort, irritation, or offense experienced when hearing something unpleasant or disagreeable.

Usage Examples

• As an adjective describing a sound/statement: (He says words that are very grating/shocking to the ears.) (The sound of scratching a chalkboard is the most ear-grating sound.)
• Describing a personal feeling: (Listening to that story, I felt extremely uncomfortable/shocked.) (She felt irritated upon hearing the complaint.)

Advanced Usage

• "Làm/Nói điều gì cho ngứa tai": To do/say something that is shocking or grating. (Don't talk about things that are shocking to the ears.)
• Used to express strong disapproval or distaste for what is heard, often implying the content is tactless, rude, or vulgar.

Variants and Related Words

• Ngứa mắt (adj): Shocking/irritating to the eyes. Used similarly for visually unpleasant things.
• Chói tai (adj): Piercing to the ears; describing a very loud, high-pitched, or physically painful sound (e.g., screech). While chói tai is more about physical acoustic discomfort, ngứa tai is more about psychological or aesthetic offensiveness.
• Khó chịu (adj): Uncomfortable, annoyed. A more general term for discomfort, which can include the feeling of ngứa tai.

Synonyms

• Grating: (of a sound or noise) harsh and unpleasant.
• Jarring: Incongruous in a striking or shocking way; clashing.
• Irritating: Causing annoyance, impatience, or mild anger.
• Offensive: Causing someone to feel deeply hurt, upset, or angry; often used for morally shocking language.

Related Idioms

• Nghe ngứa cả tai: To hear something so irritating it makes one's ears "itch." Emphasizes the intensity of the unpleasant feeling. (Listening to his words made my ears itch [I was extremely irritated].)
• While not a phrasal verb, the structure "cảm thấy ngứa tai" (to feel ear-itched) is a common collocation to explicitly state the subjective experience.

1. Shock the ears; feel uncomfortable at hearing something shocking the ears