repulsive

adjective

re·​pul·​sive ri-ˈpəl-siv How to pronounce repulsive (audio)
1
: serving or able to repulse
repulsive force
2
: tending to repel or reject : cold, forbidding
3
: arousing aversion or disgust
repulsive crimes
repulsively adverb
repulsiveness noun

Examples of repulsive in a Sentence

Magnets have a repulsive effect on each other. a repulsive display of shameless flattery that made the embarrassed actor wrinkle his nose in disgust
Recent Examples on the Web The men described in phone interviews unbearable cold, repulsive food, unsanitary conditions and beatings in Penal Colony No. 3 of the remote Yamalo-Nenets region, where Mr. Navalny arrived in December to serve out the remainder of his 19-year old prison sentence. Anatoly Kurmanaev, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, and Jeremy Strong making the world's worst smoothie on 'Succession' | Credit: Sarah Shatz/HBO Did Strong ask for the smoothie prepared onscreen by Snook to be swapped out for something less repulsive? Clark Collis, EW.com, 29 May 2023 But of course Gay’s academic record came under scrutiny in the first place owing to her repulsive testimony before Congress in early December. Nr Editors, National Review, 5 Jan. 2024 Harwell sings along as Shrek showers in mud, brushes his teeth with a bug and kills a fish with his farts — a gleeful outsider, and a repulsive one at that. Ismail Muhammad, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2023 The peculiar evidentiary standards for hate crimes combined with law enforcement’s reluctance to bring relevant charges means that the statutes can be reserved for high-profile cases, when a particularly repulsive person goes viral. Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2023 Astronomers can then sort the growth of galactic clustering strength over time to track the competition between the gravitational attraction of matter and the repulsive effect of dark energy. Richard Panek, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2023 Brutal acts of terrorism, murder or abject violence of any kind are repulsive and crimes against humanity, and no one faith has a monopoly on such abhorrent behavior. WSJ, 6 Nov. 2023 The fact that Johnson represents a combination of the GOP’s most repulsive qualities—Donald Trump’s disdain for democracy, Paul Ryan’s economic program, Mike Pence’s religiosity—was also an asset: Everyone in the caucus could find something to love in the mild-mannered Louisianan. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 2 Nov. 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English repulsyve "(in medicine) dissipating collected humors," borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French repulsif "repelling, dissipating humors," borrowed from Medieval Latin repulsīvus, from Latin repulsus, past participle of repellere "to push away, drive back, fend off" + -īvus -ive — more at repel

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of repulsive was in 1594

Dictionary Entries Near repulsive

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

repulsive

adjective
re·​pul·​sive ri-ˈpəl-siv How to pronounce repulsive (audio)
: causing disgust
repulsively adverb
repulsiveness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on repulsive

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