as in rebuffs
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in disgusts
to cause to feel disgust
the smell of that town's paper mill totally repulses me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in repels
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repulses
Verb
-
The windshield repels the huddled form and the thump on the pavement sounds like a rebuke.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025 -
It’s made from solid red wood cedar that’s water-resistant, won’t decay, and repels insects.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The high portion of dismissals has also discouraged first responders such as police officers and firefighters from participating.—
Adam Summers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Those dismissals come as the administration has ramped up mass deportations of those without legal status, and sometimes pointed to judges as obstacles in that effort.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Listeria sickens about 1,250 Americans every year and causes approximately 172 deaths.—
News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The research team revealed that plastination is a new method for managing moisture in wood by replacing water in the cellular structure with a silicone compound to create a durable, hydrophobic barrier that resists swelling, rotting, and cracking.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
-
So, for me, that was the creation of the Anti-American Speech Committee, which is a government panel essentially designed to prosecute artists for holding views or creating work that resists basically the fascist state that has overtaken the American government.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
As with every year, there are plenty of surprises and just as many snubs among the nominees.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Grammy nominations snubs including the Weeknd More than 23,000 entries were submitted for Grammy consideration.—
Jennifer McClellan,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
After numerous rejections, Guiteau's obsession with the president turned deadly.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Nov. 2025
-
One year later, that same propaganda fell flat with voters in numerous key races — rejections not only of the GOP’s virulent transphobia, but rhetoric from centrist Democrats who blamed trans rights issues for the party’s losses.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them.,
6 Nov. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Repulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repulses. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share