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rebarbative

[ ree-bahr-buh-tiv ]
/ riˈbɑr bə tɪv /
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See synonyms for rebarbative on Thesaurus.com
adjective
causing annoyance, irritation, or aversion; repellent.
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Origin of rebarbative

First recorded in 1890–95; from French, feminine of rébarbatif “disagreeable, repugnant,” from Middle French rebarber “to oppose, confront,” literally “to go beard to beard, head to head,” equivalent to ré- re- + barbe “beard,” from Latin barba “beard” (cf. beard) + -atif -ative

Words nearby rebarbative

reawaken, reb, rebab, rebadge, rebar, rebarbative, rebate, rebated, rebatement, rebato, rebbe
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to rebarbative

aggravating, annoying, distressing, disturbing, inconvenient, irritating, troublesome, vexing, daunting, disheartening, foul, offensive, exasperating, incommodious, remote, tiresome, vexatious, formidable, redoubtable, awful

How to use rebarbative in a sentence

  • Again, they hope to find this one rather less rebarbative than Law or Mathematics.

    'I Believe' and other essays|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull

British Dictionary definitions for rebarbative

rebarbative
/ (rɪˈbɑːbətɪv) /
adjective
fearsome; forbidding

Word Origin for rebarbative

C19: from French rébarbatif, from Old French rebarber to repel (an enemy), to withstand (him) face to face, from re- + barbe beard, from Latin barba
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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