as in rebuffs
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly
the waiter's incredibly rude repulse of our polite request for a better table—one that wasn't right next to the kitchen—prompted us to walk out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in disgusts
to cause to feel disgust
the smell of that town's paper mill totally repulses me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in repels
to drive back
the defense repeatedly repulsed all of the offense's attempts to move the ball forward, keeping them firmly planted on the 20-yard line
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repulses
Verb
-
This 2x4-foot area rug literally repels water, making liquid less likely to seep deeper into the material.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Feb. 2026 -
To address the issue, researchers at Florida Atlantic University have developed a device that repels sharks but not tuna and swordfish.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The result is a drama of surprising universality, in which a well-to-do couple becomes the target of unjust dismissals and persecution for political wrongthink against the Turkish regime.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The two dismissals this week come as both of those lawsuits had been set to go to trial in the next few weeks.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Just thinking about it totally sickens me.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Jan. 2026
-
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Listeria sickens about 1,250 Americans every year and causes approximately 172 deaths.—
News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Toruño resists the label of activist but embraces the political nature of her work.—
Yamlek Mojica,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
-
This would not be possible in two or three dimensions, but the words are arranged in tens of thousands of them, a geometry that doggedly resists visualization.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Yes, there were weird snubs, but the sheer depth of American talent even allowing that to happen is the real story.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
There were few major snubs but a handful of minor surprises.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Sports have always represented one of humankind’s most resolute rejections of nihilism.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
-
And in person, a new museum in Canada is celebrating rejections, social and self-inflected.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
4 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Repulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repulses. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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