as in repellent
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in repulsing
to drive back
the defenders repelled the attacking army after several hours of fierce fighting
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disgusting
to cause to feel disgust
the idea of chocolate-covered grasshoppers repels me
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in resisting
to refuse to give in to
repelled the temptation to stay out late and call in sick the next day
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of repelling
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2026
Ways To Prevent Mice Scents are good at repelling mice in the yard and around the house.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025
The union did get a win in repelling Canada Post’s attempt to implement dynamic routing in the urban unit and load leveling across both segments.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 23 Dec. 2025
Brightly colored marigold flowers complement the shades of developing bell and hot pepper fruit, but peppers also benefit from marigolds’ pest-repelling properties.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Dec. 2025
Let potential daters know about your quirks (the kind that attract some people while repelling others) on your profile and on first dates.
—Judd B. Kessler, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2025
Made from a heavyweight British wool cavalry twill with natural water-repelling qualities, it’s guaranteed to drape.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 24 Nov. 2025
It’s made of recycled nylon and Spandex with a DWR water-repelling finish, so feel free to be a little tough on it.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 23 Nov. 2025
Indeed, an array of small, inexpensive weapon systems holds great promise for repelling a Chinese amphibious landing.
—Zack Cooper, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
Both types of down do a good job keeping you warm and repelling the elements.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2026
Ways To Prevent Mice Scents are good at repelling mice in the yard and around the house.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025
The union did get a win in repelling Canada Post’s attempt to implement dynamic routing in the urban unit and load leveling across both segments.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 23 Dec. 2025
Brightly colored marigold flowers complement the shades of developing bell and hot pepper fruit, but peppers also benefit from marigolds’ pest-repelling properties.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Dec. 2025
Let potential daters know about your quirks (the kind that attract some people while repelling others) on your profile and on first dates.
—Judd B. Kessler, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2025
Made from a heavyweight British wool cavalry twill with natural water-repelling qualities, it’s guaranteed to drape.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 24 Nov. 2025
It’s made of recycled nylon and Spandex with a DWR water-repelling finish, so feel free to be a little tough on it.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 23 Nov. 2025
Indeed, an array of small, inexpensive weapon systems holds great promise for repelling a Chinese amphibious landing.
—Zack Cooper, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repelling
Adjective
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The National Weather Service highlights that in some instances, burned soil can be as water repellant as pavement, A general rule of thumb is that half an inch of rainfall in less than an hour is sufficient to cause flash flooding in a burn area.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
23 Dec. 2025
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And the crowd lurches; the crowd flexes; the crowd feels its core, which is both a sucking emptiness and a site of repellent energy, like the space cleared by a fistfight.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
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While there are dismemberments and other bits of gruesome violence to be found in the film, Badlands is largely aimed at endearing its audience rather than repulsing them.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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According to the department, Sutton currently faces three counts of resisting an officer, two counts of public intimidation, two counts of battery of a police officer, one count of disturbing the peace and one count of criminal trespassing.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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Of the many types of basil, the classic Italian 'Treviso' variety stands out for resisting bitterness, staying tender longer, and being slow to flower even as summer heats up.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Or what would be attractive or repulsive to a researcher.—
Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
5 Jan. 2026
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Researchers gained clues as to why some people taking GLP-1 drugs experience shifts in their favorite foods—suddenly finding meats repulsive or fried foods too heavy.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Of all the recent poster boys for appalling misbehavior by the State Police, Michael Proctor would of course rank number one.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
4 Jan. 2026
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Truly appalling friend counsel here from Mindy.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The New York City Police Department maintained a safety perimeter around the protest to ensure no chaos sparked between the opposing protesters.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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The footage released by CCTV depicted two opposing forces in the exercise.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This revolting behavior is not limited to the media.—
Brooke L. Rollins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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The many physically revolting and morally repellent acts that ensue amount to little but a gross-out joke.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Flu season was particularly brutal last year, sickening at least 47 million Americans, hospitalizing 610,000 and killing 27,000, according to the CDC.—
Liz Szabo,
NBC news,
25 Oct. 2025
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The illness spreads through the tribe, sickening one of its leaders and creating division and disorder.—
Maggie Doherty,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Repelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repelling. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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