repellent

adjective

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re·pel·lent | \ ri-ˈpe-lənt

variants: or less commonly repellant

Definition of repellent

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : serving or tending to drive away or ward off —often used in combination a mosquito-repellent spray

2 : arousing aversion or disgust : repulsive

repellent

noun

variants: or less commonly repellant

Definition of repellent (Entry 2 of 2)

: something that repels especially : a substance that repels insects

Other Words from repellent Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More About repellent

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Examples of repellent in a Sentence

Adjective The candle has a repellent effect on insects. your snobbish behavior towards my friends is so repellent I can't stand to be around you anymore Noun a can of insect repellent Coat the exterior with a water repellent.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The team also used chemical analysis to determine how two of pyrethrum’s molecular components—EBF and pyrethrin—elicit the repellent response. — Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 19 July 2021 Dress for the weather and bring your insect repellent. — Joan Rusek, cleveland, 28 June 2021 Critics have said the spending and emphasis should go to programs with a better record of safeguarding communities like retrofitting homes with fire-repellent materials. — Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 June 2021 The fabrics were coated with DWR (durable water repellent) which encourages water beading, where water forms large droplets. — Melanie Windridge, Forbes, 24 May 2021 While the odor of cat urine may be attractive to other cats, it has also been known to act as people repellent. Start slowly. — Arkansas Online, 9 May 2021 Some people decried any attention paid to the Nazis’ unquestionably repellent but also undeniably effective exploitation of mediums as venerable as architecture and urban design and as innovative as photography and filmmaking. — Martin Filler, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2021 Goose down is commonly coated with DWR (durable water repellent) though, and DWR is getting better and better these days. — Matt Jancer, Wired, 11 Apr. 2021 Bullets shattering a funeral on 79th Street are every bit as repellent to human nature as bullets shattering the aisles of a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. — Heidi Stevens, chicagotribune.com, 5 Apr. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun More than 30 shoppers were injured Saturday when a suspect sprayed a strong repellent inside a Miami-area store, police said. — NBC News, 17 July 2021 Use an insect repellent approved by the Environmental Protection Agency such as DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. — Lauren Krouse, Health.com, 8 June 2021 Sunscreen isn’t a must, this late in the day, but insect repellent might come in handy. — al, 27 May 2021 There are also non-prescription powders that can be applied to a pet’s fur as a natural repellent. — Michael Pollick, chicagotribune.com, 18 Apr. 2021 Tanios, who is charged with Julian Elie Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania, faces decades in prison if convicted on 10 criminal counts, including conspiring with Khater to attack officers with chemical repellent during the deadly siege. — Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2021 Prosecutors said Tanios allegedly purchased the chemical repellent at a store in West Virginia the day before the assault. — Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2021 One way is through applied topical insect repellent, the most (and arguably only) effective of which contain DEET. — Larry Olmsted, Forbes, 28 Apr. 2021 In the 1970s, the military rolled out permethrin, a more powerful synthetic repellent that kills mosquitoes on contact. — Philip Kiefer, Popular Science, 16 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'repellent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.