Meanings
comparative more repulsive · superlative most repulsive
- Tending to rouse aversion or to repulse; disgusting.
a repulsive smell
1 more example
The problem is to strike a balance between, on the one hand, the harsh poverty which still dominated the lives of most working folk, the repulsive physical environment and the moral void which surrounded so many of them, and, on the other, the undoubted general improvement of their conditions and prospects since the 1840s.
1975, Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Capital. 1848-1875, published 1995, page 267
Synonyms & antonyms
similar
tending to rouse aversion
adjectiveoffensive to the mind
adjectivepossessing the ability to repel
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinrepulsus
- Medieval Latinrepulsivus
- Middle Frenchrepulsif
- Englishrepulsive
Borrowed from Middle French repulsif, from Medieval Latin repulsivus, from Latin repulsus. By surface analysis, repuls(e) + -ive. Compare typologically Polish odpychający (< pchnąć), Russian отта́лкивающий (ottálkivajuščij) (< толкну́ть (tolknútʹ)).
More words from Middle French, Medieval Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek βδελυρός, βδελυκτός
- βδελυρός (bdelurós)tending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- βδελυκτός (bdeluktós)tending to rouse aversion or to repulse
Bulgarian противен, отвратителен
- противен (protiven)tending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- отвратителен (otvratitelen)tending to rouse aversion or to repulse
Catalan repulsiu, repulsiu
- repulsiutending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- repulsiuphysics: having the capacity to repel
Chinese Mandarin 令人厌恶的
- 令人厌恶的tending to rouse aversion or to repulse
Czech odporný, odpudivý
- odpornýtending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- odpudivýphysics: having the capacity to repel
Finnish kuvottava, luotaantyöntävä
- kuvottavatending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- luotaantyöntävätending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- hylkiväphysics: having the capacity to repel
French répugnant, repoussant
- répugnanttending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- repoussanttending to rouse aversion or to repulse
German abstoßend, widerlich
- abstoßendtending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- widerlichtending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- widerwärtigtending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- abweisendphysics: having the capacity to repel
Greek απωθητικός, αποκρουστικός
- απωθητικός (apothitikós)tending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- αποκρουστικός (apokroustikós)tending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- απωστικός (apostikós)physics: having the capacity to repel
Hebrew דּוֹחֶה
- דּוֹחֶה (doẖé)tending to rouse aversion or to repulse
Hungarian visszataszító, taszító
- visszataszítótending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- taszítóphysics: having the capacity to repel
Italian repellente, repellente
- repellentetending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- repellentephysics: having the capacity to repel
Latin taeter
- taetertending to rouse aversion or to repulse
Māori maninohea, etieti
- maninoheatending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- etietitending to rouse aversion or to repulse
Norwegian Bokmål frastøtende, heslig
- frastøtendetending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- hesligtending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- ekkeltending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- motbydeligtending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- ufyseligtending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- frastøtendephysics: having the capacity to repel
Norwegian Nynorsk fråstøytande, hesleg
- fråstøytandetending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- heslegtending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- ekkeltending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- motbydelegtending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- ufyselegtending to rouse aversion or to repulse
Polish odpychający, odrażający
- odpychającytending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- odrażającytending to rouse aversion or to repulse
Portuguese repulsivo, repulsivo
- repulsivotending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- repulsivophysics: having the capacity to repel
Romanian respingător, dezgustător
- respingătortending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- dezgustătortending to rouse aversion or to repulse
Russian отврати́тельный, омерзи́тельный
- отврати́тельный (otvratítelʹnyj)tending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- омерзи́тельный (omerzítelʹnyj)tending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- отта́лкивающий (ottálkivajuščij)tending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- отта́лкивающий (ottálkivajuščij)physics: having the capacity to repel
Spanish repulsivo, repulsivo
- repulsivotending to rouse aversion or to repulse
- repulsivophysics: having the capacity to repel
Swedish motbjudande
- motbjudandetending to rouse aversion or to repulse
Ukrainian відра́зливий
- відра́зливий (vidrázlyvyj)tending to rouse aversion or to repulse
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
repulsive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/repulsive
“repulsive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/repulsive. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “repulsive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/repulsive.
Source: repulsive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.