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

It's that tension of Bunny being both repellent and relatable that gives the story its emotional punch.

From BBC

Stone can play shrewd, silly, gorgeous, repellent, frail and frightening simultaneously, in a register at once intimate and grand-scale.

From Los Angeles Times

As a result, public health strategies increasingly emphasize community participation, routine elimination of standing water, and the use of mosquito repellents, screens, and protective clothing to reduce the risk of infection.

From Science Daily

It’s one of those characterizations that is sympathetic, repellent and consistently unnerving.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the wonderful Mr. Kirrane makes his character so repellent you just know he’s going to meet some kind of calamity.

From The Wall Street Journal