repellent

American  

[ri-pel-uhnt] / rɪˈpɛl ənt /

Or repellant

adjective

1. causing distaste or aversion; repulsive.

   Synonyms:

   loathsome, distasteful, disgusting, repugnant

2. forcing or driving back.

3. serving or tending to ward off or drive away.

4. impervious or resistant to something (often used in combination).

   moth-repellant.

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noun

1. something that repels, as a substance that keeps away insects.

2. a medicine that serves to prevent or reduce swellings, tumors, etc.

3. any of various durable or nondurable solutions applied to a fabric, garment, surface, etc., to increase its resistance, as to water, moths, mildew, etc.

repellent British  

/ rɪˈpɛlənt /

adjective

1. giving rise to disgust or aversion; distasteful or repulsive

2. driving or forcing away or back; repelling

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noun

1. something, esp a chemical substance, that repels

   insect repellent

2. a substance with which fabrics are treated to increase their resistance to water

Other Word Forms

• interrepellent adjective
• nonrepellent adjective
• repellence noun
• repellently adverb
• self-repellent adjective
• unrepellent adjective
• unrepellently adverb

Etymology

Origin of repellent

1635–45; < Latin repellent- (stem of repellēns ), present participle of repellere to drive back. See repel, -ent

Example Sentences

She, along with her supervisor, Sam Smith, developed the water and stain repellent Scotchgard.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Even though most of the moisture from the recent rains has begun to dry up, experts say, it doesn’t hurt to apply insect repellent when outdoors.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

To the Nolan fanboys, the “Batman” television series’ creators made West carry shark repellent and throw onomatopoeic punches because they didn’t understand what it meant to be Batman.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026

And in case the bugs start biting, the Necker Island team notes that insect repellent is included.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 16, 2026

But even making my feet move felt repellent, and halfway into the song, he mentioned that he had a cousin named August who was over in France.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse