revulsion
Americannoun
-
a strong feeling of repugnance, distaste, or dislike.
Cruelty fills me with revulsion.
-
a sudden and violent change of feeling or response in sentiment, taste, etc.
-
the act of drawing something back or away.
-
the fact of being so drawn.
-
Medicine/Medical. the diminution of morbid action in one part of the body by irritation in another.
noun
-
a sudden and unpleasant violent reaction in feeling, esp one of extreme loathing
-
the act or an instance of drawing back or recoiling from something
-
obsolete the diversion of disease or congestion from one part of the body to another by cupping, counterirritants, etc
Other Word Forms
- revulsionary adjective
Etymology
Origin of revulsion
1535–45; < Latin revulsiōn- (stem of revulsiō ) a tearing away, equivalent to revuls ( us ) (past participle of revellere to tear away, equivalent to re- re- + vellere to pluck) + -iōn- -ion
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.
So the mass palpitations surrounding the arrest last week of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should be viewed with caution—another of the occasional bouts of populist revulsion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026
They were placed on remand until December 24 pending further investigations into the incident, which sparked widespread revulsion after the footage was shared on social media.
From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025
But public revulsion at their attack appears to have forced the criminals to backtrack.
From BBC • Oct. 1, 2025
Within weeks, Pablo Picasso’s painting “Guernica” was on public display, boosting global revulsion at such barbarism.
From Salon • Sep. 8, 2025
He drew back for a moment, in revulsion.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
![]()
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.