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
  • That Penn State failed to use the long runway given with Franklin’s October dismissal didn’t help things.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Iraola’s dismissal came as a surprise to a number of his players, although Catala, who later managed Larnaca, explains that there is a volatility to decision-making in Cyprus if form deteriorates.
    — Andy Jones, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissal
Verb
  • 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
  • Kim The call left Kim Grindell disgusted, furious and wracked with guilt.
    — Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 20 June 2026
Definition of disgust
Verb
  • Baking soda mixed with powdered sugar can repel ants and cockroaches.
    — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The narrator, though curious to speak herself, is finally repelled.
    — Maya Binyam, New Yorker, 12 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
  • Key Background This is the second voluntary recall Taylor Farms has conducted in recent weeks, after lettuce from the produce company was linked to the cyclospora outbreak that has sickened tens of thousands of people across the country.
    — Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • However, Ormund is sickened by the blood spurting in his eyes, and Roddy turns the tables, using his remaining hand to stick a knife well into Ormund's backside.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of sicken
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
  • Indeed, both candidates prefer the hard work of actually governing over performative posturing, modeling a deliberate rejection of the political fringes.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Not as a rejection of his background, but as an expansion of what that background can hold.
    — Advertorial, Footwear News, 13 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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Cite this Entry

“Repulse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repulse. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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