revulsion

noun re·vul·sion \ ri-ˈvəl-shən \

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of revulsion

1 : a strong pulling or drawing away : withdrawal

2 a : a sudden or strong reaction or change

b : a sense of utter distaste or repugnance

—

revulsive

play \ri-ˈvəl-siv\ adjective

See revulsion defined for English-language learners

See revulsion defined for kids

Examples of revulsion in a Sentence

She was struck with revulsion at the sight of the dead animal.
a growing revulsion to war

Recent Examples of revulsion from the Web

Two things were behind ETA’s defeat: pressure from the Spanish, Basque and French police; and global, and eventually local, revulsion against terrorism.

— The Economist, "Spain’s ETA Basque terrorists disband," 9 May 2018
That's exactly what the fabled Unicorn became, as thousands flocked to Starbucks and shared their thoughts about the bright pink drink on social media -- both praise and revulsion.

— zlati meyer, USA TODAY, "Starbucks plans to cut back on its craziest drinks," 27 Apr. 2018
Gilman populates her world with people who engender both sympathy and revulsion at the same time.

— OregonLive.com, "'Luna Gale' takes a hard look at the child services system (review)," 25 Apr. 2018
Research shows that young people were increasingly ambivalent about guns before Parkland, but the NRA’s response seems to be pushing them toward revulsion.

— elliott woods, The New Republic, "Essential reporting, interpretation, and opinion on politics and culture. Don't miss our latest.," 16 Apr. 2018
Most people react to violent events such as last month’s school shooting in Parkland, Fla. with shock, outrage, numbness, horror and revulsion.

— scott glassman, Philly.com, "Is it time to look away? Health effects of watching violence in the media," 14 Mar. 2018
Bo doesn't know what to believe, but soon enough, his revulsion turns to thoughts of commerce.

— andrea simakis, cleveland.com, "Dobama Theatre's 'Appropriate' is Long Day's Journey Into White (review)," 26 Apr. 2018
Like the French sausage andouillette, another example of Deep Offal, chitlins provoke a fleeting crisis between brain and stomach, a moment when the mind teeters on the edge, deciding whether to react to the incoming data with revulsion or desire.

— brett martin, GQ, "GQ's Best New Restaurants in America, 2018," 23 Apr. 2018
Despite the international revulsion over chemical weapons attacks, the death toll from such incidents in Syria is only a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of combatants and civilians killed since the war erupted in 2011.

— author: tom perry, dahlia nehme, Anchorage Daily News, "Russia warns that any U.S. missiles fired at Syria will be shot down," 11 Apr. 2018

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