REPULSE Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

repulse 1 of 2

noun

Definition of repulse

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

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

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Noun

The former defence minister is popular among younger Ukrainians and his dismissal in July sparked protests across the country.

— Will Barker, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026
Opinion polls taken in recent weeks show that Fedorov has grown popular enough in Ukraine since his dismissal to pose a serious challenge to Zelensky in a presidential race.

— Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of dismissal

Verb

If the polls are any indication, Americans in general are disgusted with Washington’s Israel policy.

— Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
In 2017, the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine went to a team of French researchers who used advanced brain-scanning technology to measure the extent to which some people are disgusted by fromage.

— Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2026

Definition of disgust

Verb

The first North Korean deployment began in the Kursk region in October 2024, to repel a Ukrainian incursion, the first on Russian soil since the Nazis.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
The drawback of using essential oils to repel flies is that their efficacy is short-lived.

— Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 21 Aug. 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

Compounding the crisis is the fact that airlines are actively resisting standardization in a bid to outdo each other.

— Edward Russell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
For instance, as a Christian, I am called to vote for doing justice, making peace, loving mercy, being humble, doing good and resisting evil and, most of all, loving my neighbor, whoever that is.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of resist

Noun

Social media’s instant rejection of Netflix’s Qwikster spinoff, for instance, forced the company to scuttle that bad idea almost immediately after it was introduced in 2011.

— Josef Adalian, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
After all, the billionaire founder lived a whirlwind of a career, turning down lucrative job offers and weathering professional rejection before ultimately launching one of the world’s biggest biotech companies.

— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of rejection

Verb

But those enrolled in drug trials were left appalled by the news.

— Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 5 Aug. 2026
Perverse incentives For their part, wildfire experts say that they are appalled by the mere existence of prediction markets that allow for trading on these disasters.

— Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of appall

Browse Nearby Words

repugnant

repulse

repulsed

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“Repulse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repulse. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of repulse

noun

verb

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