Repulsive Meaning
/ɹɪˈpʌlsɪv/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjTending to rouse aversion or to repulse; disgusting.
adjHaving the capacity to repel.
Sentence Examples
Tom found Mary repulsive.
Death, in whatever form, is repulsive.
Many people, even ones who generally like sex, find fetishes repulsive.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The rotten smell from the trash was so ____ that everyone covered their noses.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The smell coming from the abandoned building was so ____ that the investigators had to wear masks.
Word Origin & History
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)).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The rotten smell from the trash was so ____ that everyone covered their noses.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The smell coming from the abandoned building was so ____ that the investigators had to wear masks.