repulsive
adjective
re·pul·sive
ri-ˈpəl-siv 
1
: serving or able to repulse
repulsive force
2
: tending to repel or reject : cold, forbidding
3
: arousing aversion or disgust
repulsive crimes
repulsively
adverb
repulsiveness
noun
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
By this time, as an infection from the rusty nail courses through his body, Carroll has become a physically repulsive wreck, an open sore, riddled with gunge and pus.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
More also cheat on their working wife or are found to be repulsive by their spouse.
—Eric Magnuson, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
The performance felt both virtuosic and repulsive, a goulash of hype, sloganeering, and calls to violence spiked with in-jokes, shaggy-dog anecdotes, and populist fables, all of it seductive and—in our dangerous era—familiar.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2026
That cage, the magical but also eerie Thrushcross Grange, is a sight to behold—an epic, retina-searing, sometimes repulsive, consistently jaw-dropping palace, meticulously constructed by production designer Suzie Davies.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for repulsive
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Damon Wise, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
More also cheat on their working wife or are found to be repulsive by their spouse.
—Eric Magnuson, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
The performance felt both virtuosic and repulsive, a goulash of hype, sloganeering, and calls to violence spiked with in-jokes, shaggy-dog anecdotes, and populist fables, all of it seductive and—in our dangerous era—familiar.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2026
That cage, the magical but also eerie Thrushcross Grange, is a sight to behold—an epic, retina-searing, sometimes repulsive, consistently jaw-dropping palace, meticulously constructed by production designer Suzie Davies.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for repulsive
Cite this Entry
“Repulsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repulsive. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
repulsive
adjective
re·pul·sive
ri-ˈpəl-siv
: causing disgust
repulsively
adverb
repulsiveness
noun
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