repulsion

noun

re·​pul·​sion ri-ˈpəl-shən 

1

: the action of repulsing : the state of being repulsed

2

: the action of repelling : the force with which bodies, particles, or like forces repel one another

3

: a feeling of aversion : repugnance

Synonyms of repulsion

• disgust
• hatred
• horror
• nausea
• distaste

Examples of repulsion in a Sentence

I read about what happened with a feeling of shock and repulsion.

She felt a repulsion for politics.

a repulsion between the particles

their successful repulsion of the attack

Recent Examples on the Web

Similarly, having a conscience means feeling sadness or moral repulsion at the idea of taking a certain action, and those emotions entail a physiological response, a remnant of having once felt sick with guilt after committing an immoral act. —Ted Chiang, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026

Scientists around the world have been working for decades on fusion, which requires overcoming particles’ natural repulsion to combining. —Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 27 May 2026

These conventions predictably trigger emotions such as fear, anxiety, shock, disgust, surprise, repulsion, and relief. —Tham Thi Nguyen, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026

Covering politics today is a grim dance between the vicious and the idiotic, between repulsion and despair. —Megan McArdle, Washington Post, 10 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English repulsioun, borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French repulcion, repulsion, borrowed from Medieval Latin repulsiōn, repulsiō "action of driving away or expelling" (Late Latin, "refutation"), derivative, with the suffix of verbal action -tiōn-, -tiō, of Latin repellere "to push away, drive back, fend off " (with -s- from past participle and verbal noun repulsus) — more at repel

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for repulsion

• avulsion
• compulsion
• convulsion
• emulsion
• expulsion
• impulsion
• propulsion
• revulsion
• microemulsion

Kids Definition

repulsion

noun

re·​pul·​sion ri-ˈpəl-shən 

1

: the action of repulsing : the state of being repulsed

2

: the force with which bodies, particles, or like forces repel one another

3

: a feeling of great dislike : repugnance

Medical Definition

repulsion

noun

re·​pul·​sion ri-ˈpəl-shən 

: the tendency of some linked genetic characters to be inherited separately because a dominant allele for each character occurs on the same chromosome as a recessive allele of the other compare coupling sense 2