revulsion

noun

re·​vul·​sion ri-ˈvəl-shən 

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

felt revulsion at the sight of such wanton destruction

revulsive

ri-ˈvəl-siv 

adjective

Synonyms of revulsion

• disgust
• hatred
• horror

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 on the Web

In the face of such widespread public revulsion, the administration and its enablers have been trying to invent a terrorist threat to justify their increasingly unpopular siege of Minneapolis. —Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026

Every walk down the street filled him with revulsion. —Amir Ahmadi Arian, The Dial, 15 Jan. 2026

The Cubs had whiffed on Bregman a year earlier when they were outbid by the Boston Red Sox, and chairman Ricketts had repeatedly expressed his revulsion for going over the luxury tax. —Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026

That revulsion, though, is usually expressed tonally rather than verbally—in the loveless couplings, or in the cold white privacy of yet another bathroom stall. —Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin revulsion-, revulsio act of tearing away, from revellere to pluck away, from re- + vellere to pluck — more at vulnerable

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for revulsion

• avulsion
• compulsion
• convulsion
• emulsion
• expulsion
• impulsion
• propulsion
• repulsion
• microemulsion

Kids Definition

revulsion

noun

re·​vul·​sion ri-ˈvəl-shən 

1

: a strong pulling or drawing away : withdrawal

2

a

: a sudden or strong reaction or change

b

: a sense of complete dislike

revulsive

-ˈvəl-siv 

adjective

Medical Definition

revulsion

noun

re·​vul·​sion ri-ˈvəl-shən 

: alleviation of a localized disease by treatment (as with counterirritants) of an adjacent region