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
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
Body horror in all its repulsive forms crops up everywhere on Severance, because within Branch 501, one’s body is no longer their own — and that’s exactly how Lumon wants it.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
Despite such repulsive assertions, Kingsley’s synthesis of scientific and theological thinking also led him to be one of the great Christian socialists of his day, advocating tirelessly for social reform, especially sanitation.
—Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 29 Jan. 2025
Physicists will use this data to measure the properties of both dark matter as well as dark energy, an equally mysterious repulsive force proposed to explain the accelerating expansion of the universe.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
Today, the idea of intentionally dismembering and displaying human body parts can seem shocking, even repulsive.
—Therese Cory, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for repulsive
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Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
Despite such repulsive assertions, Kingsley’s synthesis of scientific and theological thinking also led him to be one of the great Christian socialists of his day, advocating tirelessly for social reform, especially sanitation.
—Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 29 Jan. 2025
Physicists will use this data to measure the properties of both dark matter as well as dark energy, an equally mysterious repulsive force proposed to explain the accelerating expansion of the universe.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
Today, the idea of intentionally dismembering and displaying human body parts can seem shocking, even repulsive.
—Therese Cory, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for repulsive
Cite this Entry
“Repulsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repulsive. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
repulsive
adjective
re·pul·sive
ri-ˈpəl-siv
: causing disgust
repulsively
adverb
repulsiveness
noun
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