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bellyful

bellyful

1 7.2
A large amount of annoying things like complaints or criticism that you cannot tolerate
  • noun
  • /ˈbɛliˌfʊl/
  • UK
translation icon : suficiencia
  • Her boss calmly told her he'd look into all her questions, and, quite frankly, he'd gotten a bellyful of the job, too, because the owner had no idea what he wanted or what it took to get what he wanted.

Examples

  • Now, we've both had a bellyful of you.

  • Anyhow, he says he's had his bellyful here and decided to get back with her.

  • If you came here with a bellyful of self pity, you came to the wrong place.

  • I'd had a bellyful of her.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • She got a bellyful of it and left me.

  • Now, I've just about had a bellyful of this little Juarista.

  • Unless your brother grows up, Ben, there's gonna be trouble... because I've had a bellyful.

  • After weeks of listening to his constant complaints, I finally had a bellyful of his negativity.

  • She left the meeting feeling she had a bellyful of empty promises from her colleagues.

  • The teacher expressed that the students have had a bellyful of the repetitive drills this semester.

Antonyms

192 2.2

A pleasant feeling when you achieve something or your needs are met

2 1.0

An amount that satisfies a need

How Full

surfeit
  • Formal
4 8.8
bellyful
  • UK
1 7.2
stomachful
1 5.7
meal
1.0
portion
61 1.3
little
1 1.0

Surface Forms

bellyful singular
bellyfuls plural

Morphology

bellyful = belly + full (semi-transparent) = belly + full

The compound 'belly' + 'full' is clear, but the figurative sense 'a bellyful of X' (meaning 'had enough of') is a metaphorical extension that may not be immediately deducible by learners.

Etymology

The word bellyful comes from belly 'stomach' and ful 'full'. Imagine your stomach so full you cannot take more. That image helps you remember a bellyful of complaints means you are fed up and cannot take any more.