revulsion

[ ri-vuhl-shuhn ]

noun

1. a strong feeling of repugnance, distaste, or dislike:

   Cruelty fills me with revulsion.

   Synonyms: aversion, loathing, repulsion, disgust

2. a sudden and violent change of feeling or response in sentiment, taste, etc.
3. the act of drawing something back or away.
4. the fact of being so drawn.
5. Medicine/Medical. the diminution of morbid action in one part of the body by irritation in another.

revulsion

/ rɪˈvʌlʃən /

noun

1. a sudden and unpleasant violent reaction in feeling, esp one of extreme loathing
2. the act or an instance of drawing back or recoiling from something
3. obsolete.
   the diversion of disease or congestion from one part of the body to another by cupping, counterirritants, etc

Derived Forms

• reˈvulsionary, adjective

Other Words From

• re·vulsion·ary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of revulsion¹

1535–45; < Latin revulsiōn- (stem of revulsiō ) a tearing away, equivalent to revuls ( us ) (past participle of revellere to tear away, equivalent to re- re- + vellere to pluck) + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of revulsion¹

C16: from Latin revulsiō a pulling away, from revellere , from re- + vellere to pull, tear

Example Sentences

Disgust is a strong feeling of revulsion in response to objects perceived to be contaminating, polluting or unclean.

From Salon

Democrats have been banking on a tidal wave of support from Black voters, drawn by the chance to elect the first Black female president and by revulsion toward former President Donald J. Trump, whose questioning of Ms. Harris’s racial identity, comments on “Black jobs” and demonizing of Haitian immigrants pushed his long history of racist attacks to the forefront of the campaign.

From Salon

Concluding the findings of fact against the officer, panel chair Craig Hassall KC said there had been "widespread public revulsion towards breaches of Covid regulations, especially from those in positions of responsibility."

From BBC

The hook-beaked, scrawny-necked and chunky-bodied birds were immediately described as "disgusting" by English biologist Charles Darwin, although his revulsion was also due to the vultures' diet of dead animals.

From Salon

Jonathan Egan, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said the trio's actions "would have caused panic, revulsion and chaos in their local communities".

From BBC

Related Words

• disgust
• dislike
• distaste
• hatred
• horror
• loathing
• repulsion