The word "repugnant" (/rɪˈpʌɡnənt/) is often misspelled due to confusion over the placement of the letters "u" and "g". However, the word is spelled with a "u" immediately after the "p" and a "g" towards the end. The phonetic transcription indicates that the stress is on the second syllable, which can also help with proper pronunciation. "Repugnant" means extremely distasteful or offensive, and is a useful word to have in one's vocabulary.
Repugnant is an adjective used to describe something that causes an intense feeling of disgust, aversion, or strong opposition. It refers to actions, beliefs, ideas, or situations that are extremely offensive, abhorrent, or repulsive. Such objects or individuals are deeply offensive or objectionable to the senses, morals, principles, or common values of most people.
The term emphasizes the strong and vehement reaction that the subject produces, exceeding mere disagreement or dislike. It denotes a response to something that is fundamentally opposed to what is considered morally or ethically acceptable. The perception of repugnancy can vary among individuals, as it is closely linked to personal values and societal norms. What might be repugnant to one person may not be the same for another.
When applied to ethical, social, or political matters, repugnant illustrates the idea of a profound incompatibility between certain viewpoints or behaviors and widely accepted standards. It is often employed to describe actions or behaviors violating human rights, ethical principles, or cultural norms, such as acts of violence, discrimination, bigotry, or cruelty.
In summary, repugnant characterizes something that incites strong feelings of disgust, opposition, and aversion due to its deeply offensive, objectionable, or morally unacceptable nature.
Characterised by opposition or contrariety; adverse, with to; inconsistent; inimical.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "repugnant" comes from the Latin term "repugnans" which is the present participle of the verb "repugnare". "Repugnare" is formed by combining the prefix "re-" meaning "against" or "back" with "pugnare" which means "to fight" or "to struggle". Therefore, the original meaning of "repugnant" in Latin was "fighting against" or "opposing". Over time, the word gained the sense of being extremely distasteful, offensive, or contradictory to one's ideas or beliefs, which is the primary meaning of "repugnant" in modern English.