Repugn

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To stand against or resist someone or something by force or argument ; to be in conflict with or contrary to a principle or idea
2. Archaic verb meaning to oppose or fight back against an opponent ; to clash with or be inconsistent with a belief, rule or fact
3. To set oneself against a force or opponent in open hostility ; to be fundamentally incompatible with an accepted truth or established norm

Etymology: "Repugn" is a verb meaning to oppose with force, and it comes straight from Latin "repugno," literally "to fight back" or "to fight against." The Latin word is built from "re-," meaning back or against, and "pugno," meaning to fight, a root that also gives English "pugnacious" and "pugilist." So the English word carries a military image in its very construction: a combatant striking back at an opponent. Because "repugn" was taken directly from Latin rather than passing through French, it keeps the sharp, combative sense of its source. Its close relative "repugnant" follows the same route, but English speakers now use that adjective far more often than the verb itself, so the verb survives mainly as a formal or literary choice.

Synonyms: oppose, resist, contradict

Antonyms: support, accept