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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sadly, we were robbed of any repulsive body horror on this lovely Halloween day (sorry, gore-hounds), but at least we were left with one helluva cliffhanger heading into its tense season closer. Nick Caruso, TVLine, 31 Oct. 2024 But Redmayne is repulsive and confusing, igniting a fight-or-flight response in thousands of innocent viewers who did nothing to deserve this. Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 17 June 2024 But fat, scruffy, with repulsive skin with that foul-mouthed, female persona. Anahid Nersessian, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2024 Early dark energy posits that this extra expansion might have resulted from an additional repulsive force that was pushing against space at the time and has since died out. Marc Kamionkowski, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for repulsive 

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 1 Dec. 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

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!