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repulse 1 of 2

noun

Definition of repulsenext
as in dismissal
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly the waiter's incredibly rude repulse of our polite request for a better table—one that wasn't right next to the kitchen—prompted us to walk out

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

repulse

2 of 2

verb

ri-ˈpəls How to pronounce repulse (audio)
1
as in to disgust
to cause to feel disgust the smell of that town's paper mill totally repulses me

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to repel
to drive back the defense repeatedly repulsed all of the offense's attempts to move the ball forward, keeping them firmly planted on the 20-yard line

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of repulse
Noun
Larger than life, his creation repulses and torments him, and Victor spends the rest of his life both running from it and trying to destroy it. — Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024 The optical, stop-motion, and puppetry effects alone should make Brain Damage a priority on your watchlist, but Henenlotter’s film excites and repulses on a deeper level. — Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
Verb
Firstman’s debut directorial effort, Club Kid, shrewdly acknowledges those garish personality tics, which have both endeared and repulsed audiences. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026 Anyone who has worked in or observed the media industry for the last couple of decades will recognize and be repulsed by nepo-baby Jay, who is undeniably villainous. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for repulse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repulse
  1. dismissal
  2. disgust
  3. repel
  4. rebuff
  5. sicken
  6. resist
  7. rejection
  8. appall
Noun
  • Still, many parents picked up their children before dismissal.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Nazara, sworn in hours after Purbaya's dismissal, spent seven years as deputy finance minister and led the ministry's fiscal policy agency from 2015 to 2019.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of dismissal
Verb
  • Most certainly disgust, on a profound level, for the current Israeli regime and its prime minister, Bibi Netanyahu.
    — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Decent law-abiding Israelis living in Judea/Samaria are also disgusted by behavior of the few who violate civil law & Torah by violence & lawlessness.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of disgust
Verb
  • The running back, 25, had a career night in his first game with the Chiefs, tallying 173 rushing yards on 23 carries, seemingly repelling opponents which resulted in multiple Broncos missed tackles.
    — Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The two countries’ ties have grown stronger since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022 with Pyongyang sending thousands of troops to Russia’s Kursk region to help repel a 2024 Ukrainian incursion there.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of repel
Noun
  • The rebuff contributes to the future civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, in which Rhaenyra battles her half-brother Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) for the seat of power.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 30 July 2026
  • Despite the Reina Sofía’s many refusals to lend the work to various institutions around the world, its rebuff of the Guggenheim’s request carries a particular sting because the Basque Country has long held that the painting belongs in the place where the depicted tragedy occurred.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
Definition of rebuff
Verb
  • Before the vaccine became available in 1963, measles sickened 3 million to 4 million people and led to about 500 deaths every year in the United States.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Last year, another Legionnaires' outbreak in Harlem killed seven people and sickened dozens of others.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of sicken
Verb
  • Its rugged silicone exterior is IP67-rated to resist water, dust, and drops, while the flexible utility strap easily clips onto backpacks, handlebars, or coolers.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Lee and his Burning co-writer Oh Jung-mi resist what might have been the first instinct of many filmmakers by refusing to make Ye-ji and Sang-woo overly patronizing rich jerks.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of resist
Noun
  • With breathtaking speed, a little over a month after the Good Earth casting rejection, Wong left Hollywood to fulfill her lifelong dream of visiting China.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Maybe, then, the work isn’t so much a project, but a lifelong mission, an analogue rejection of video being the medium of instant gratification.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of rejection
Verb
  • Mansur, who desperately longs to be reunited with his own mother, is appalled.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s ongoing satirical series at first appalled many viewers with its resolute political incorrectness and penchant for four-letter words from the mouths of babes, and that was nowhere more evident than in Cartman himself.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of appall

Browse Nearby Words

repugnant
repulse
repulsed
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Cite this Entry

“Repulse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repulse. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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