revulsion

American  

[ri-vuhl-shuhn] / rɪˈvʌl ʃən /

noun

1. a strong feeling of repugnance, distaste, or dislike.

   Cruelty fills me with revulsion.

   Synonyms:

   aversion, loathing, repulsion, disgust

2. a sudden and violent change of feeling or response in sentiment, taste, etc.

3. the act of drawing something back or away.

4. the fact of being so drawn.

5. Medicine/Medical. the diminution of morbid action in one part of the body by irritation in another.

---

revulsion British  

/ rɪˈvʌlʃən /

noun

1. a sudden and unpleasant violent reaction in feeling, esp one of extreme loathing

2. the act or an instance of drawing back or recoiling from something

3. 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

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

Related Words

• disgust
• dislike
• distaste
• hatred
• horror
• loathing
• repulsion