as in disgust
a dislike so strong as to cause stomach upset or queasiness
could barely contain her repugnance of frogs and nearly threw up when she found out we'd have to dissect one in science class
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Recent Examples of repugnance
Brianna seems to swing between two moods: intense enthusiasm, intense repugnance.
—
Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
In fact, the retort could lead people to dangerously belittle the scourge and repugnance of real anti-Semitism.
—Salam Fayyad, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2024
The series gets darker and more grotesque as the season progresses, and our uncomfortable laughter eventually fades into a grimace of repugnance.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 10 July 2023
Though historically dubious, Thirteentherism is rhetorically useful in mobilizing moral repugnance at chattel slavery to protest present-day prison conditions, as if current abuses aren’t sufficient cause for indignation.
—Sean Wilentz, The New York Review of Books, 1 Dec. 2022
News of Donald Trump’s recent soiree at Mar-a-Lago with Nicholas Fuentes, a man whose repugnance stands in inverse relationship to his intellectual capacity, reminds us that the former and perhaps future president’s ability to attain new levels of notoriety remains impressively undimmed.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 28 Nov. 2022
Police in the United States are not supposed to police ideology, and the repugnance of offensive speech, such as Nazi symbols or overtly racist rhetoric, is not relevant to whether it’s protected under the Constitution, said David Siegel, a professor at New England Law | Boston.
—Danny McDonald, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2022
Some combination of awe and repugnance and confusion that she’s spent so many of her obviously prodigious talents spinning stories for men who need their stories spun.
—Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2020
The debate still rages, fuelled more by the wisdom of repugnance than by data.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2010
Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
In fact, the retort could lead people to dangerously belittle the scourge and repugnance of real anti-Semitism.
—Salam Fayyad, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2024
The series gets darker and more grotesque as the season progresses, and our uncomfortable laughter eventually fades into a grimace of repugnance.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 10 July 2023
Though historically dubious, Thirteentherism is rhetorically useful in mobilizing moral repugnance at chattel slavery to protest present-day prison conditions, as if current abuses aren’t sufficient cause for indignation.
—Sean Wilentz, The New York Review of Books, 1 Dec. 2022
News of Donald Trump’s recent soiree at Mar-a-Lago with Nicholas Fuentes, a man whose repugnance stands in inverse relationship to his intellectual capacity, reminds us that the former and perhaps future president’s ability to attain new levels of notoriety remains impressively undimmed.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 28 Nov. 2022
Police in the United States are not supposed to police ideology, and the repugnance of offensive speech, such as Nazi symbols or overtly racist rhetoric, is not relevant to whether it’s protected under the Constitution, said David Siegel, a professor at New England Law | Boston.
—Danny McDonald, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2022
Some combination of awe and repugnance and confusion that she’s spent so many of her obviously prodigious talents spinning stories for men who need their stories spun.
—Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2020
The debate still rages, fuelled more by the wisdom of repugnance than by data.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2010
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repugnance
Noun
-
During one Nuggets run late in the second quarter, Warriors coach Steve Kerr sat motionless for several possessions, glaring straight ahead while displaying a look of disgust.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Some of Ward’s disgust was with himself for having gotten played.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
My darling, hatred takes the beauty away.—
Tracee Ellis Ross,
Glamour,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Muschietti touched on this in his movies — the bullying of Mike Hanlon and the hate-crime murder of Adrian Mellon — including the way Pennywise fosters and foments the hatred already lurking in the hearts of Derry’s citizens.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That distaste didn’t hurt Spanberger and her ticket, because 18% of those unhappy voters backed her anyway.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Elsewhere, Day-Lewis reiterated his distaste for the misrepresentation of method acting, having previously defended the approach last month and throughout recent press appearances.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The green Christmas light blinks in horror.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The video teaser Chrli shared features eerie, horror film–like sound effects and the haunting sound of violins as Charli is pinned down by an elderly hand while staring directly into the camera.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Repugnance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repugnance. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
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