repellent

repellent — adjective

1. so unpleasant or morally shocking that people feel a strong desire to stay away

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

so unpleasant or morally shocking that people feel a strong desire to stay away or not get involved with a person, situation, or idea.

Example

Sora found the idea of eating live octopus repellent and refused to try it.

repellent + idea / situation as subject

The politician's cruel remarks about poor families were repellent to many voters.

Common collocations
  • repellent behaviour
  • repellent to somebody
  • find something repellent
  • something is repellent about
Synonyms
  • repulsive

    stronger physical disgust, often about appearance or smell

  • revolting

    very strong emotional response, slightly more informal

  • objectionable

    more formal, focuses on moral or social unacceptability

  • abhorrent

    formal and intense, implying hatred

Antonyms

Usage Note

This sense expresses a strong emotional reaction rather than a physical effect. Unlike 'repulsive,' which focuses on physical disgust, 'repellent' often targets ideas, behaviour, or situations that feel morally wrong or socially unacceptable.

Common Mistakes

The bug spray smells repellent.' (trying to say it smells bad)
The bug spray is a good repellent.
Use the adjective sense for strong emotional disgust, not for disliking a smell.

2. treated or manufactured in a way that keeps liquids, particularly water, from so

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

treated or manufactured in a way that keeps liquids, particularly water, from soaking through the material.

Example

Nadia bought a jacket made of water-repellent fabric for her hiking trip in the mountains.

compound: water-repellent + fabric

The company developed a new stain-repellent coating for kitchen tables and work surfaces.

Common collocations
  • water-repellent fabric
  • repellent coating
  • repellent treatment
  • stain-repellent surface
Synonyms
  • resistant

    broader meaning, not always fully repellent

  • waterproof

    stronger — completely prevents water from passing through

  • impermeable

    formal, scientific; nothing can pass through

Antonyms
  • absorbent

    soaks up liquid rather than keeping it out

  • permeable

    allows liquids or gases to pass through

Grammar Patterns

noun + -repellent

Usage Note

Frequently used in compound adjectives such as 'water-repellent,' 'stain-repellent,' and 'dirt-repellent.' The compound form appears before the noun, while 'repellent' alone can follow a linking verb: 'the surface is repellent to water.'

Common Mistakes

This jacket is water-repelling.
This jacket is water-repellent.
The correct form is 'repellent,' not 'repelling.'

repellent — noun

Word family

  • repel
    verbB2
  • repellence
    nounC1
  • repulsion
    nounC1
  • repulsive
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe strong negative reactions, but differ in intensity and what triggers them. 'Repellent' focuses on behaviour, ideas, or situations that feel morally or socially wrong — it is the least physical of the four. 'Repulsive' is more about physical disgust, often triggered by sight, smell, or touch ('a repulsive smell from the drain'). 'Revolting' overlaps with 'repulsive' but is slightly more informal and suggests a gut-level reaction ('revolting food'). 'Objectionable' is the mildest and most formal, used for statements or conduct that offend standards of taste or decency ('objectionable language in the film'). 'Abhorrent' is the strongest, carrying a sense of hatred and moral outrage ('torture is abhorrent to all civilised people'). In practice: if a colleague tells a cruel joke, you might find it repellent; if you see someone hurt an animal, you would call it abhorrent.

repulsiverevoltingobjectionable ↗abhorrent

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • morally repellent
  • deeply repellent
  • physically repellent
  • completely repellent

Phrases

  • water-repellent jacket
  • insect repellent spray
  • stain-repellent surface

Prepositions

  • repellent to

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word comes from Latin 'repellere,' meaning 'to drive back or push away,' formed from 're-' (back, away) and 'pellere' (to push, drive). The '-ent' ending turns the verb into an adjective describing something that has the quality of pushing away. English borrowed it through French in the late 1600s. The physical sense (water-repellent fabric) appeared in the early 1900s, while the moral-disgust sense has been in use since the 1700s.