revulsion

noun

re·​vul·​sion ri-ˈvəl-shən How to pronounce revulsion (audio)
1
: a strong pulling or drawing away : withdrawal
2
a
: a sudden or strong reaction or change
b
: a sense of utter distaste or repugnance
revulsive adjective

Examples of revulsion in a Sentence

She was struck with revulsion at the sight of the dead animal. a growing revulsion to war
Recent Examples on the Web The tone of the film is coloured by the revulsion of a filmmaker recoiling from his subject. Hazlitt, 6 Mar. 2024 There was no public announcement, but the new deals were unearthed by a Google employee who had quit in revulsion. Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Jan. 2024 The first, natural reaction to such an attack is revulsion, accompanied by a desire for revenge and exemplary punishment. Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2023 Several Democratic voters said their revulsion with the state of American politics was rooted in Mr. Trump’s brand of angry grievance and the election lies that stoked the Jan. 6 rioters. Alan Blinder, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2023 But many felt revulsion at the public coziness between the college and the former president. Danny Hakim, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2024 The Houthi attacks have buoyed the reputation of the militant movement at home in Yemen and around the Middle East, amid widespread revulsion at Israel’s offensive, which has killed nearly 22,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the health ministry there. Evan Halper, Washington Post, 31 Dec. 2023 But Hikawa’s work defies that impulse, making the toilet an intentional object of fascination and maybe even a little revulsion. Nora Taylor, Curbed, 2 Jan. 2024 Eileen, desperate to hold onto Rebecca’s approval, winds up implicated in a bizarre human experiment, an unholy and unsolicited experiment of grief, revulsion and horror. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'revulsion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin revulsion-, revulsio act of tearing away, from revellere to pluck away, from re- + vellere to pluck — more at vulnerable

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of revulsion was in 1609

Dictionary Entries Near revulsion

Cite this Entry

“Revulsion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revulsion. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

revulsion

noun
re·​vul·​sion ri-ˈvəl-shən How to pronounce revulsion (audio)
1
: a strong pulling or drawing away : withdrawal
2
a
: a sudden or strong reaction or change
b
: a sense of complete dislike
revulsive adjective

Medical Definition

revulsion

noun
re·​vul·​sion ri-ˈvəl-shən How to pronounce revulsion (audio)
: alleviation of a localized disease by treatment (as with counterirritants) of an adjacent region

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