repulsive

Tending to rouse aversion or to repulse; disgusting.

Adjective

  1. Tending to rouse aversion or to repulse; disgusting.
    • a repulsive smell
    • 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...
  2. Having the capacity to repel.
  3. Cold; reserved; forbidding.

Origin

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)).

Forms

more repulsive most repulsive

Synonyms

repellent disgusting vile inappropriate

Antonyms

attractive

Derived

chemorepulsive electrorepulsive neurorepulsive nonrepulsive repulsively repulsiveness unrepulsive