Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

repulsive

/ɹɪˈpʌlsɪv/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.18 in modern English

Syllables: re-pul-sive
IPA: /ɹɪˈpʌlsɪv/

14

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Tending to rouse aversion or to repulse; disgusting.

adj

Having the capacity to repel.

adj

Cold; reserved; forbidding.

Example Sentences

"a repulsive smell"
"The problem is to strike a balance between, on the one hand, the harsh poverty which still dominated the lives of most working folk, the repulsive physical environment and the moral void which surrounded so many of them, and, on the other, the undoubted general improvement of their conditions and prospects since the 1840s."

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French repulsif, from Medieval Latin repulsivus, from Latin repulsus. By surface analysis, repuls(e) + -ive. Compare typologically Polish odpychający (< pchnąć), Russian отта́лкивающий (ottálkivajuščij) (< толкну́ть (tolknútʹ)).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: repulsivus, repulsus

Inflected Forms

more repulsive (comparative) most repulsive (superlative)

Derived Forms

chemorepulsive electrorepulsive neurorepulsive nonrepulsive repulsively repulsiveness unrepulsive

Synonyms

repellent disgusting vile inappropriate hideous abhorrent detestable obscene repugnant

Antonyms

attractive

Rhymes With

compulsive impulsive convulsive

Questions

How do you pronounce repulsive?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɹɪˈpʌlsɪv/.
What does repulsive mean?: Tending to rouse aversion or to repulse; disgusting.
Where does repulsive come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce repulsive

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “repulsive”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɹɪˈpʌlsɪv/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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