repulsion
Americannoun
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a feeling of disgust or aversion
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physics a force tending to separate two objects, such as the force between two like electric charges or magnetic poles
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of repulsion
1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French < Medieval Latin repulsiōn- (stem of Late Latin repulsiō ), equivalent to Latin repuls ( us ) ( see repulse) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Repulsion is getting grossed out. If the thought of great green globs of greasy grimy gopher guts makes you recoil in horror, then you've experienced repulsion, or an intense aversion to something. Where there's repulsion, there's disgust. Maybe gagging. Perhaps a few screams. In physics, repulsion describes how two magnets with the same charge jump away from each other, kind of like how most of us leap from the table when mom puts down a plate of Brussels sprouts.
Vocabulary lists containing repulsion
Beloved
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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
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Structure and Properties of Matter - Middle School
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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.
At the time, watching these videos didn’t elicit nausea or repulsion in Jemima—they came across as amusing.
From Slate • May 12, 2026
Polling data backs up this anecdotal display of repulsion towards racist violence.
From Salon • Feb. 13, 2026
When people comment on them, I sometimes can’t tell if it’s out of admiration or a vague yet inquisitive repulsion.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2025
In addition to the signal that promotes attraction between individuals, Mizuta and her colleagues were also surprised to find a repulsion signal.
From Science Daily • May 21, 2024
A white dwarf is supported by the exclusion principle repulsion between the electrons in its matter.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
