See Also: repulsive(dictionary)
repulsive(dictionary)

repulsive (iou)



repulsive adjective & noun. LME.
[Old & mod. French repulsif, -ive or from REPULSE verb + -IVE.]
A. adjective.
Having the property of physically repelling or resisting a person or thing; forcing back, driving away, etc. (Foll. by of, to.) LME.
Tending to repel a person by denial, coldness of manner, etc.; disconcerting. L16.
V. Woolf That sense of moral virtue..so repulsive in good women.
Physics. Of the nature of, characterized by, or causing repulsion. Opp. attractive. E18.
Repellent to the mind; disgusting, loathsome. E19.
Dylan Thomas Suddenly cornered by three repulsive looking..men. Observer Producers won't make repulsive films if the public don't go to see them.
B. noun. A medicine or application that represses an infection, eruption, etc. LME-L17.
repulsively adverb M18.
repulsiveness noun the state or quality of being repulsive E19.