as in dismissal
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly
the waiter's incredibly rude repulse of our polite request for a better table—one that wasn't right next to the kitchen—prompted us to walk out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to disgust
to cause to feel disgust
the smell of that town's paper mill totally repulses me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to repel
to drive back
the defense repeatedly repulsed all of the offense's attempts to move the ball forward, keeping them firmly planted on the 20-yard line
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of repulse
Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2021
Yet Mr Trump’s decision to change course represents neither a disastrous retreat nor a major moral repulse.
—The Economist, 23 June 2018
David Axe, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Dexter is repulsed by the whole scene, and really who can blame him?
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for repulse
Noun
Stories about chemical and biological weapons are often oversold, for the same reason stories of cannibalistic serial killers are: Peculiar forms of murder repulse and excite us, and old-fashioned forms do not.
—Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2021
Yet Mr Trump’s decision to change course represents neither a disastrous retreat nor a major moral repulse.
—The Economist, 23 June 2018
Verb
Today, Ukrainian troops repulsed yet another attack by the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade around Pogrebki, the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies reported.
—David Axe, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Dexter is repulsed by the whole scene, and really who can blame him?
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for repulse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repulse
Noun
-
The defendants will answer Gastineau’s complaint and motion for its dismissal.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
14 Mar. 2025
-
However, judges in separate cases have ordered officials at the National Labor Relations Board and Merit Systems Protection Board to be reinstated after similar dismissals, signaling continued legal battles over Trump’s authority to reshape independent agencies.—
Kaelan Deese,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
In her discussion of Christianity, King relishes the absurdity that results when a religion that is disgusted by female sexuality also engages in mother worship.—
S. C. Cornell,
The New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Once again, DeSantis has gone too far — in this case, ideologically and geographically — and people who surely voted for him in the state’s most conservative region are disgusted.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
This desperation, rather than repelling me, became a source of connection.—
Priscilla Posada,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Kyiv's troops have repelled months of Russian counteroffensives, but recent weeks have seen their salient crumble and Russian forces retake significant ground.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Many assume government workers will resist new technology, but this overlooks a simple truth: The entire U.S. workforce already navigates sophisticated technology in their daily lives.—
Alex Saric,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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To that end, her drama resists sensationalizing the Barnetts’ claims, and then rejects them all together.—
Angie Han,
The Hollywood Reporter,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Apparently undeterred by Greenland and Denmark’s rejection of his advances, Trump has repeatedly returned to the subject of the U.S.′ claim of ownership.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2025
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Black women business owners who apply for funding face a 3x higher rejection rate than that of white business owners according to recent data.—
Jasmine Browley,
Essence,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The measles outbreak, which has killed two people to date and sickened nearly 260 across three states, represents the first time Kennedy has had to reckon with his past as a longtime critic of vaccines and his new leadership of the federal health establishment.—
Nathaniel Weixel,
The Hill,
13 Mar. 2025
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For the first time in a decade, someone in the U.S. has died from measles — an unvaccinated child in Texas caught up in an outbreak that has sickened more than 120 other people.—
Susan Kressly,
Orlando Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
However, the ceremony brought more snubs and surprises.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
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The new Cetaphil ad, poking fun at his snub, will air during one of the coveted commercial breaks.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Dismay or appall you, sure, but never surprise you.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Dec. 2024
-
That kind of appalls me to think that people need not expect that of themselves.—
David Marchese Photograph by Mamadi Doumbouya,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Repulse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repulse. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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