repulsive

adjective

re·​pul·​sive ri-ˈpəl-siv 

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

Synonyms

• abhorrent
• abominable
• appalling
• awful
• disgusting
• distasteful
• dreadful
• evil
• foul
• fulsome
• gross
• hideous
• horrendous
• horrible
• horrid
• loathsome
• nasty
• nauseating
• nauseous
• noisome
• noxious
• obnoxious
• obscene
• odious
• offensive
• rancid
• repellent
• repellant
• repugnant
• revolting
• scandalous
• shocking
• sickening
• ugly

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

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

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

Kids Definition

repulsive

adjective

re·​pul·​sive ri-ˈpəl-siv 

: causing disgust

repulsively adverb

repulsiveness noun