repulsion

[ ri-puhl-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of repulsing or the state of being repulsed.
2. the feeling of being repelled, as by the thought or presence of something; distaste, repugnance, or aversion.
3. Physics. the force that acts between bodies of like electric charge or magnetic polarity, tending to separate them.

repulsion

/ rɪˈpʌlʃən /

noun

1. a feeling of disgust or aversion
2. physics a force tending to separate two objects, such as the force between two like electric charges or magnetic poles

Other Words From

• inter·re·pulsion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of repulsion¹

1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French < Medieval Latin repulsiōn- (stem of Late Latin repulsiō ), equivalent to Latin repuls ( us ) ( repulse ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

On November 17, A24 released Horror Caviar, a cookbook that exploits and embraces our conflicting repulsion and craving for food as horror.

From Eater

Such descriptions imply a sort of simultaneous repulsion and attraction.

From Washington Post

That event unlocked an unprecedented global wave of rage and repulsion.

From Washington Post

Amino acid chains collapse—or fold—into a structure based on electrochemical rules of attraction and repulsion between molecules.

From Fortune

Repulsion by Polanski is one of my real inspirations of several of his films.

From The Daily Beast

My dad and Carlos had another thing in common: their repulsion at sentimentality.

From The Daily Beast

Better for all of us that it dies a natural death from simple repulsion and lack of interest.

From The Daily Beast

Seeing it gave me the same feeling of unease and repulsion I had whenever witnessing self-flagellation.

From The Daily Beast

Then anger stirred in him, and quenched the sorrow with which at first he had marked the signs of her repulsion.

From Project Gutenberg

But there are other laws, the power of repulsion, for instance, whose omission would be equally fatal.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Peck leaned over the corpse, revealing none of the repulsion that Ward was sure he would exhibit.

From Project Gutenberg

He would have seized her, but a quick, passionate gesture of repulsion kept him back.

From Project Gutenberg

A shiver of repulsion, for him and his killings, ran over her.

From Project Gutenberg