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
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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
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Recent Examples of repulses
Daniel Felsenthal, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
Charlie, though, is trying to keep them out of a country that thoroughly repulses him.
—Alexander Nazaryan, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
Sigmund Freud believed that every crush has a strand of disgust, that people are attracted to what repulses them.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
Charlie, though, is trying to keep them out of a country that thoroughly repulses him.
—Alexander Nazaryan, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repulses
Verb
-
The chaos of American life repels her.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
-
If your glass doors have a special coating that repels stains, test cleaners in an inconspicuous place first and check with the manufacturer for cleaning instructions.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
And after overseeing one of the most chaotic seasons in franchise history, following prior actions in the front office that included the dismissals of Kyle Dubas and then Brendan Shanahan, Pelley and an ownership group in transition haven’t earned the benefit of the doubt.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
-
The policy targeted former party members, particularly those in senior positions under the previous government, and led to large-scale dismissals across the public sector, including the military, education and civil service.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Just thinking about it totally sickens me.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Jan. 2026
-
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
-
This ornamental onion attracts bees and butterflies (and resists deer and rabbits, too).—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 May 2026
-
Organized in collaboration with the Miami-Dade Public Library System, the exhibition, which opened on April 3 and continues through June 25, unfolds as a traveling, evolving project that resists a single narrative.—
Miguel Sirgado,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
But Colorado can answer the snubs by winning the Stanley Cup.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
-
That’s because Deadwyler has proven her knack for summoning visceral, harrowingly realistic emotion in stories of painful resonance, work which has led to a bevy of critics’ awards, Indie Spirit and BAFTA nominations — and a good deal of outcry over Oscar snubs.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The role came after a long period of consecutive rejections.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
10 May 2026
-
Bezos recounted getting several rejections and some investors.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Repulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repulses. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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