Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Hot and stuffy, sultry, sweltering: Describes a state of oppressive, uncomfortable heat, often with high humidity and a lack of air circulation, causing physical discomfort and a feeling of being stifled.
   • Figuratively, feeling stifled or frustrated: Can describe a feeling of mental or emotional suffocation, irritation, or restlessness due to a tense, confined, or oppressive situation.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Thời tiết hôm nay thật nực nội. (The weather today is truly sweltering.)
  • Căn phòng nhỏ không có cửa sổ khiến tôi cảm thấy nực nội. (The small room without windows makes me feel stifled.)
  • Sau cơn mưa, không khí trở nên nực nội và ngột ngạt. (After the rain, the air became sultry and suffocating.)

Advanced Usage

• Describing an oppressive atmosphere: Used to describe not just physical heat but also an environment or situation that feels heavy, tense, and uncomfortable.
  • Bầu không khí trong cuộc họp thật nực nội vì những bất đồng. (The atmosphere in the meeting was stifling because of the disagreements.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nực (adj): Hot (often used to describe spicy food or hot weather, but less intense than "nực nội").
  • Trời nực. (It's hot.)
• Ngột ngạt (adj): Suffocating, stifling, oppressive. Often used interchangeably with "nực nội" but can emphasize a stronger sense of being unable to breathe, both literally and figuratively.
  • Không khí ngột ngạt. (Suffocating air.)
• Oi bức (adj): Muggy, close, sultry. Very similar to "nực nội," specifically describing hot and humid weather.
  • Thời tiết oi bức. (Muggy weather.)

Synonyms

• Sultry: (of weather) hot and humid.
• Sweltering: uncomfortably hot.
• Stifling: making one feel constrained or unable to breathe freely; suffocating.
• Oppressive: unpleasantly overwhelming; physically or mentally burdensome.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• Nóng nực nội tâm: A phrase describing inner turmoil, restlessness, or anxiety. While not a direct idiom with "nực nội," it uses the root word "nực" to convey a heated, uncomfortable internal state.
  • Anh ấy nóng nực nội tâm vì chờ đợi kết quả. (He is inwardly restless/anxious while waiting for the results.)

1. Hot, sultry
   • Thời tiết nực nội
     The weather is sultry