Pronunciation: [ɹɪpˈʌlsɪv] (IPA) 
The word "repulsive" is spelled with a silent "e" at the end, which indicates a long "u" sound in the middle of the word. The IPA phonetic transcription for "repulsive" is /rɪˈpʌlsɪv/. The "r" sound is followed by a short "i" sound, then a stressed "u" sound, pronounced like "uh." This is followed by a "p" and "s" sound, and the word ends with a short "i" sound and a silent "v-e." "Repulsive" means causing disgust or aversion.
Repulsive is an adjective that describes something or someone extremely unpleasant, offensive, or repugnant. It refers to anything that generates strong feelings of aversion, disgust, or revulsion.
When applied to a person's behavior or personality, it implies traits or actions that are offensive, obnoxious, or deeply distasteful. A repulsive individual may behave or speak in a manner that causes others to feel repelled or repulsed, displaying behavior that is offensive, rude, or unethical. Their actions may be morally or socially unacceptable, making them disliked or shunned by others.
In a physical sense, repulsive describes objects or substances that cause a strong feeling of physical repulsion or disgust. These items may have a foul odor, a disturbing appearance, or qualities that create a visceral response of revulsion. For example, decaying food, a decomposing animal carcass, or putrid sewage may be considered repulsive due to the strong negative reaction they evoke.
Repulsive can also refer to something that repels or resists an external force, typically used in scientific or mathematical contexts. In physics, two objects can exhibit repulsive forces when they push away from each other due to electrostatic charges or the presence of similar magnetic poles. Similarly, in mathematics, a repulsive force can describe the separation or rejection of particles or objects governed by certain laws.
Overall, repulsive encapsulates strong feelings of disgust, revulsion, or aversion, whether in relation to unpleasant behavior, offensive personality traits, unsavory physical features, or scientific phenomena where forces oppose or push away.
Tending to repulse; cold; reserved; forbidding.
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 "repulsive" originated from the Latin term "repulsus" which is the past participle of the verb "repellere". "Repellere" is composed of two Latin words: "re", meaning "back" or "away", and "pellere", meaning "to drive". So, the literal meaning of "repulsive" in Latin is "driven back" or "driven away". Over time, the term evolved in English to refer to something that causes intense aversion or disgust.
