repellent

or re·pel·lant

[ ri-pel-uhnt ]

/ rɪˈpɛl ənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR repellent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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.

noun

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.

Nearby words

repeater, repeating decimal, repeating firearm, repechage, repel, repellent, repent, repentance, repentant, repentigny, repeople

Origin of repellent

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

SYNONYMS FOR repellent

1 repugnant, disgusting, distasteful, loathsome.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR repellent ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

re·pel·lent·ly, adverbin·ter·re·pel·lent, adjectivenon·re·pel·lent, adjectiveself-re·pel·lent, adjective

un·re·pel·lent, adjectiveun·re·pel·lent·ly, adverb

Can be confused

repellent repulsive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for repellent

This she did (we are not told how), and Beethoven reacted with ‘repellent coldness’.
Beethoven in Love: The Woman Who Captivated the Young Composer|John Suchet|January 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At first it seems the repellent extends to the men in her life.
Lorraine Adams Reviews ‘Our Lady of Alice Bhatti’ by Mohammed Hanif|Lorraine Adams|May 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Among those matriarchs are countless Italian women who have told me that they find our own sexual politics “repellent” and “sad.”
Berlusconi Exits, and an Era of Sexist Buffoonery Is Over|Lawrence Osborne|November 17, 2011|DAILY BEAST
As much as America finds President Zardari repellent, we in Pakisan do, too.
Obama's Murderous Guest|Fatima Bhutto|May 5, 2009|DAILY BEAST

Meg was solitary, and in her solitude she grew defiant and repellent.
Meg's Friend|Alice Abigail Corkran
The very atmosphere that permeated this hole between the hills was at once forbidding, repellent and sinister.
The Red Debt|Everett MacDonald
Very seldom are they graded with care—a repellent harshness marks them.
Chats on Japanese Prints|Arthur Davison Ficke
But yet she was less cold and repellent to him than she had once been.
A Charming Fellow, Volume II (of 3)|Frances Eleanor Trollope
Everything within and around him seemed confused, senseless, and repellent.
War and Peace|Leo Tolstoy

British Dictionary definitions for repellent

repellent

/ (rɪˈpɛlənt) /

adjective

giving rise to disgust or aversion; distasteful or repulsive

driving or forcing away or back; repelling

noun Also: repellant

something, esp a chemical substance, that repelsinsect repellent

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

Derived Forms

repellence or repellency, nounrepellently, adverb

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

Medicine definitions for repellent

repellent

[ rĭ-pĕl′ənt ]

adj.

Capable of driving off or repelling.

n.

A substance used to drive off or keep away insects.