repulsive
/ɹɪˈpʌlsɪv/adjective
repulsive is spelled R-E-P-U-L-S-I-V-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, repulsive means “Tending to rouse aversion or to repulse; disgusting” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in repulsive?
| Letters | 9: R-E-P-U-L-S-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,965th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is repulsive?
Repulsive appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce repulsive?
- /ɹɪˈpʌlsɪv/
Repulsive has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-repulsive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with repulsive?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as repulsive.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: pulverise.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of repulsive
- more repulsive comparative
- most repulsive superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does repulsive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Tending to rouse aversion or to repulse; disgusting.
a repulsive smell
- 2
Having the capacity to repel.
- 3
Cold; reserved; forbidding.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Repulsive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | répugnant, repoussant |
| German | abstoßend, widerlich, widerwärtig , abweisend |
| Portuguese | repulsivo |
| Spanish | repulsivo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does repulsive come from?
Borrowed from Middle French repulsif, from Medieval Latin repulsivus, from Latin repulsus. By surface analysis, repuls(e) + -ive. Compare typologically Polish odpychający (< pchnąć), Russian отта́лкивающий (ottálkivajuščij) (< толкну́ть (tolknútʹ)).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).