repugnance

noun

re·​pug·​nance ri-ˈpəg-nən(t)s How to pronounce repugnance (audio)
1
a
: the quality or fact of being contradictory or inconsistent
b
: an instance of such contradiction or inconsistency
2
: strong dislike, distaste, or antagonism

Examples of repugnance in a Sentence

They expressed their repugnance at the idea. They felt nothing but repugnance for the group's violent history.
Recent Examples on the Web The series gets darker and more grotesque as the season progresses, and our uncomfortable laughter eventually fades into a grimace of repugnance. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 10 July 2023 News of Donald Trump’s recent soiree at Mar-a-Lago with Nicholas Fuentes, a man whose repugnance stands in inverse relationship to his intellectual capacity, reminds us that the former and perhaps future president’s ability to attain new levels of notoriety remains impressively undimmed. Gerard Baker, WSJ, 28 Nov. 2022 Police in the United States are not supposed to police ideology, and the repugnance of offensive speech, such as Nazi symbols or overtly racist rhetoric, is not relevant to whether it’s protected under the Constitution, said David Siegel, a professor at New England Law | Boston. Danny McDonald, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2022 Some combination of awe and repugnance and confusion that she’s spent so many of her obviously prodigious talents spinning stories for men who need their stories spun. Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2020 The debate still rages, fuelled more by the wisdom of repugnance than by data. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2010 Though historically dubious, Thirteentherism is rhetorically useful in mobilizing moral repugnance at chattel slavery to protest present-day prison conditions, as if current abuses aren’t sufficient cause for indignation. Sean Wilentz, The New York Review of Books, 1 Dec. 2022 The comparison of Covid-19 public health efforts to the actions of Nazis has become a recurring theme, even though its repugnance never fades. Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, 24 Jan. 2022 But the switch stuck in his mind as a way to physically portray the repugnance of fascism through a rodent-eating alien race. Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'repugnance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of repugnance was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near repugnance

Cite this Entry

“Repugnance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repugnance. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

repugnance

noun
re·​pug·​nance ri-ˈpəg-nən(t)s How to pronounce repugnance (audio)
: a strong feeling of dislike

More from Merriam-Webster on repugnance

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!