repulsive

adjective

re·pul·sive | \ri-ˈpəl-siv

Definition of repulsive

1 : serving or able to repulse repulsive force

2 : tending to repel or reject : cold, forbidding

3 : arousing aversion or disgust repulsive crimes

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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

As the film begins in 2028, a young Taiwanese nurse (Alina Tsai), known only by her employee number, is shown struggling with her repulsive routines and cramped living quarters in an Indonesian hospital. — Clarence Tsui, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Ten Years Taiwan': Film Review," 13 July 2018 And this repulsive encounter is worse than unhygienic: those feces spread microscopic parasites that cause Chagas disease. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "How Tiny Trackers Could Help Humans Avoid Kissing Bugs’ Deadly Smooch," 9 July 2018 Giving him any money to rebuild his country would be doubly repulsive. — The Economist, "Syrian refugees could turn into the new Palestinians," 30 June 2018 Annie is a complicated character, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes outright repulsive. — Tasha Robinson, The Verge, "Ari Aster’s breakout horror hit Hereditary is pants-wettingly scary," 8 June 2018 On the face of it, the argument that society should be rearranged to accommodate these men is so repulsive that it should not be entertained. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Men Don't Have a Right to Sex," 4 May 2018 Durian are just about synonymous with their repulsive odor, which (to be fair) has whiffs of sweetness that are immediately overwhelmed by notes of corrosion and rancid egg. — Melinda Morris, NOLA.com, "Who boils the best crawfish in metro New Orleans? It's the last day to vote," 30 Apr. 2018 Even those who found his words repulsive were mesmerized by him. — Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, "How American Racism Influenced Hitler," 23 Apr. 2018 The same agenda that’s so repulsive to the campaigners has drawn praise from President Trump and much of his base. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Outrage from environmentalists will only boost Pruitt’s standing in Trump’s orbit.," 30 Mar. 2018

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