adj
repulsive
rih-PUHL-sihv
adj
1
Causing strong disgust; extremely unpleasant.
"The horror film featured some genuinely repulsive creatures."
"His table manners were repulsive."
2
Capable of pushing something away, as a physical force.
"The magnets exert a repulsive force on each other."
How to Use Repulsive
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDisgusting, or physically pushing things apart.
Common pairings
find someone repulsive
repulsive smell
repulsive force
Word Forms
more repulsive comparative, most repulsive superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “repulsive”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The horror film featured some genuinely _____ creatures.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin repulsivus, built on Latin repulsus, "driven back."