repugnant

adjective

re·​pug·​nant ri-ˈpəg-nənt How to pronounce repugnant (audio)
1
2
archaic : hostile
3
: exciting distaste or aversion
repugnant language
a morally repugnant practice
repugnantly adverb

Examples of repugnant in a Sentence

technically speaking, it may not be a violation, but it is certainly repugnant to the spirit of the law
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Stone’s outlaw bikers are convincing enough to not be cartoonish but aren’t repugnant in their piggishness. Katie Rife, Vulture, 21 June 2024 Regardless of their views of Trump, Colorado voters need to send a message to Márquez that her attempt to disenfranchise over 550,000 of them was repugnant to the fundamental values of the Republic. Mike Davis, The Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2024 No matter how repugnant and seemingly unfair such a compromise would be -- for example, that Qaddafi and those close to him are provided with immunity and are allowed to leave Libya -- such a move would add to the NTC's leadership credentials. Dirk Vandewalle, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2011 Eugenics was debunked as both biologically unsound and morally repugnant decades ago, but Donald Trump has repackaged its key lies to appeal to 21st-century American anxieties. Arthur Caplan, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for repugnant 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, opposed, contradictory, incompatible, from Anglo-French, from Latin repugnant-, repugnans, present participle of repugnare to fight against, from re- + pugnare to fight — more at pungent

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of repugnant was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near repugnant

Cite this Entry

“Repugnant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repugnant. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

repugnant

adjective
re·​pug·​nant ri-ˈpəg-nənt How to pronounce repugnant (audio)
1
2
: causing a feeling of dislike or disgust : repulsive
repugnantly adverb

Legal Definition

repugnant

adjective
re·​pug·​nant ri-ˈpəg-nənt How to pronounce repugnant (audio)
: characterized by contradiction and irreconcilability
the arbitrator's decision was not repugnant to the ActM. A. Kelly

More from Merriam-Webster on repugnant

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