repellent

adjective

ri-ˈpe-lənt How to pronounce repellent (audio)
variants also repellant
Definition of repellentnext
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment your snobbish behavior towards my friends is so repellent I can't stand to be around you anymore

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of repellent Their road trip veers profanely off course with Sheridan exhibiting a cruel streak that’s viscous, sociopathic and even repellent. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026 Markowski is similarly unimpressed by repellent bracelets, stickers, and passive patches, which release repellent from one small spot. — Angela Haupt, Time, 3 Aug. 2026 Depending on the ingredients though, your insect repellant of choice may last a little longer. — Makena Gera, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026 Catnip, the euphoria-inducing herb beloved by felines, was known to have insect repellent properties, though it had never been commercialized for that purpose. — Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for repellent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repellent
  1. disgusting
  2. ugly
  3. awful
  4. horrible
  5. sickening
  6. obnoxious
  7. hideous
  8. shocking
Adjective
  • People tend to think of waste as trash, sewage, slag, manure and other seemingly useless or disgusting substances.
    — Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The better to act out empire’s idea of what disgusting demonic sickness looks like.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • Without all that, the series misses out on the ugly, earthy, sensual details that could have complicated her past blank innocence.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Earlier this season, the Seahawks coach described a dispute with Payton that got ugly enough for Seattle to threaten a lawsuit.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • He was held back by something else, a feeling that some awful truth about his familiar, beloved world was now being revealed to him.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • His death was already sudden and awful, and the call was jarring and unexpected.
    — Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • Hill is a free agent after a horrible injury suffered last season.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Ashley Flynn’s sister, Kayla Keyt, said during her victim statement that her family could not overcome their sense of shock and despair after learning that Flynn betrayed them in such a violent and horrible way.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • Beyond the ugly-duckling implications and the patent objectification and humiliation of women, the show’s portrayal of plastic surgery itself struck me as dark and sort of sickening.
    — Jolene Edgar, Allure, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps the most sickening part of the entire encounter is that both Oleynik and Kravchenko are seen holding the turtle's hatchlings, posing for photos and smiling as if everything is cool.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of sickening
Adjective
  • Carla is suffering through a press junket for a new spy movie titled The Milliner with her obnoxious co-star, Jeremy (Aaron Tsindos).
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But others have slammed the effort as a pretentious and obnoxious slog.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of obnoxious
Adjective
  • Alabama has been busily demonstrating that the reverse is true, following a string of hideous botched lethal injection executions with a series of no less gruesome executions with nitrogen suffocation.
    — Maya Foa, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • This puzzle is stuffed with nuance, pleasing crosses and a lot of simply terrific, ridiculously evocative stuff — for example, a jarring assortment of lovely trivia intersecting with some hideous ailments at more than one juncture.
    — Caitlin Lovinger, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of hideous
Adjective
  • Her inciting incident is eventually bookended in equally shocking fashion.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Continue reading … -- POLITICS LIFE OR DEATH — Conservative group unveils campaign in key state to expose ‘shocking’ Dem platform.
    — , FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of shocking

Browse Nearby Words

repellency
repellent
repelling
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Cite this Entry

“Repellent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repellent. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on repellent

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about repellent

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