# repulsion

/ɹɪpˈʌlʃən/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/repulsion
Updated: 2026-10-18

## Definition

a very strong feeling of dislike for something that seems disgusting or wrong. You feel it when something looks, smells, or sounds so bad you want to move away.

For teachers: intense aversion or disgust provoked by something offensive to the senses or moral feeling; in physics, a force that pushes objects apart, opposite to attraction.

## Examples

- She feels repulsion at the smell of rotten fish.
- He steps back in repulsion as the bin overflows with sour, rotting food.
- The novel traces her fascination with the old house giving way to quiet repulsion as its secrets come to light.

## Synonyms

disgust, revulsion, loathing, aversion, repugnance

## Antonyms

attraction

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.