Repulsive

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈpʌlsɪv/

Definitions

1. Causing intense disgust or strong aversion due to being extremely unpleasant or offensive
2. Generating a strong feeling of distaste or aversion through being notably unattractive or morally objectionable
3. Evoking a powerful sense of revulsion by being exceedingly disagreeable or morally reprehensible

Etymology: The word "repulsive" is built from "repulse," which comes from Latin "repellere," meaning "to drive back" or "to push away." The Latin past participle "repulsus" gave rise to the Medieval Latin adjective "repulsivus," and the word passed into English through Middle French "repulsif." Its core sense is physical: something that pushes back or drives off. Early uses in English kept this meaning, describing a force that repels rather than a thing that disgusts. The -ive ending is a common suffix meaning "tending to" or "having the quality of," so "repulsive" originally meant "tending to repel." The shift toward moral and emotional revulsion, where something is so unpleasant that it drives a person away in disgust, grew naturally out of that pushing-away idea. The same root lies behind "repulse" in its military sense of driving back an attack, and "repel" itself.

Synonyms: disgusting, repugnant, offensive, abhorrent, loatheable

Antonyms: attractive, pleasant, appealing, charming