Meaning
"What's eating you?" means "What's bothering you?" The picture is of a worry that bites away at you from the inside, slowly, the way a small animal eats through a bag of rice. It's for moods that last: someone who is quiet, snappy or distracted and won't say why.
It's casual and direct. Between close friends, partners and family it sounds caring, because it says "I can see something's wrong, and I want to hear it." From a manager or someone you've just met, it can sound too blunt, even a little accusing. At work, "Is something on your mind?" does the same job more gently.
The phrase moves around: "What's eating him?" asks about someone else, and "It's been eating at me" is how you admit a worry of your own. "Eating at" always means a slow worry, never a sudden one.
In a conversation
- Olivia
- Haruto
- Olivia
- Haruto
- Olivia
- Haruto
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Check yourself
Practice · 3 min
Listen, then repeat. "What's eating you" is said fast, almost as one word, with the weight on "eating".
Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.