repugnant
Americanadjective
-
distasteful, objectionable, or offensive.
a repugnant smell.
-
making opposition; averse.
-
opposed or contrary, as in nature or character.
- Synonyms:
- hostile, adverse, antagonistic
adjective
-
repellent to the senses; causing aversion
-
distasteful; offensive; disgusting
-
contradictory; inconsistent or incompatible
Other Word Forms
- repugnance noun
- repugnantly adverb
- unrepugnant adjective
- unrepugnantly adverb
Etymology
Origin of repugnant
1350–1400; Middle English repugnaunt < Middle French < Latin repugnant- (stem of repugnāns, present participle of repugnāre ), equivalent to repugn ( āre ) to repugn + -ant- -ant
Explanation
Repugnant refers to something you detest so thoroughly it threatens to make you physically sick, like the idea of marrying your sister. Or wearing last year's jeans. A repugnant thing is a thing offensive, detestable, or obscene. It can be repugnant to your mind or your morals. It can also be physically repugnant, like the smell that comes from a restaurant’s dumpster, which hasn't been emptied since the very exciting "Omelet Week," way back at the beginning of August. Makes you want to "re-PLUG-nant" your nose!
Vocabulary lists containing repugnant
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bryan Simpson, hospitality organiser with the Unite union, described the events as "morally repugnant" and said staff were "devastated".
From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026
Second, tying liberty to wealth — and allowing other people to profit off the provision of liberty, thereby creating a cottage industry of freedom loans — is morally repugnant.
From Salon • Sep. 20, 2025
The courts really do have the power to examine a statute or a permit and say, No, this is repugnant to the constitution and must be set aside.
From Slate • Dec. 20, 2024
“I think people are over it…and to act like anybody has less stakes in this country or is a lesser person because of the choices they made is repugnant to most of us.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2024
“I suppose you’d find it less repugnant to go hungry every morning!”
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
