repellent
or re·pel·lant
[ri-pel-uh nt]
- causing distaste or aversion; repulsive.
- forcing or driving back.
- serving or tending to ward off or drive away.
- impervious or resistant to something (often used in combination): moth-repellant.
Show More
- something that repels, as a substance that keeps away insects.
- a medicine that serves to prevent or reduce swellings, tumors, etc.
- any of various durable or nondurable solutions applied to a fabric, garment, surface, etc., to increase its resistance, as to water, moths, mildew, etc.
Show More
Origin of repellent
Synonyms
See more synonyms for repellent on Thesaurus.com1. repugnant, disgusting, distasteful, loathsome.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for repellent
Contemporary Examples
This she did (we are not told how), and Beethoven reacted with ‘repellent coldness’.
At first it seems the repellent extends to the men in her life.
Among those matriarchs are countless Italian women who have told me that they find our own sexual politics “repellent” and “sad.”
As much as America finds President Zardari repellent, we in Pakisan do, too.
Historical Examples
Repellent differences and dislikes separate them from mankind.
Latin America and the United StatesElihu Root
It was a repellent caricature, but could still be very funny.
The Velvet GloveHarry Harrison
He had found the only way, and repellent though it might be to him, he must take it.
Captain BloodRafael Sabatini
There was something fascinating as well as repellent about the woods.
Frank Merriwell's CruiseBurt L. Standish
He grew daily more sullen and repellent, toward Albert noticeably so.
Wayside CourtshipsHamlin Garland
repellent
- giving rise to disgust or aversion; distasteful or repulsive
- driving or forcing away or back; repelling
Show More
- something, esp a chemical substance, that repelsinsect repellent
- a substance with which fabrics are treated to increase their resistance to water
Show More
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
Word Origin and History for repellent
adj.
also repellant, 1640s, from Latin repellentem (nominative repelens), present participle of repellere (see repel). Originally of medicines (that reduced tumors); meaning "distasteful, disagreeable" first recorded 1797.
Show More
n.
also repellant, 1660s, "medicine that reduces tumors," from repellent (adj.). As "substance that repels insects," 1908.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
repellent
(rĭ-pĕl′ənt)- Capable of driving off or repelling.
Show More
- A substance used to drive off or keep away insects.
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.