revulsion means abhorrence, a sense of loathing, intense aversion, repugnance, repulsion, horror.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, revulsion ranks #1,951 of 14,297 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,350 of 14,448 for Most Incisive Words, #2,351 of 14,308 for Most Malleable Words, #7,082 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words.
revulsion is pronounced /ɹɪˈvʌlʃən/.
Why “revulsion” is a great word
A sudden, intense feeling of disgust, loathing, or repugnance. From Latin revulsiōn-, revulsiō ("a tearing away"), from revulsus, past participle of revellere ("to pull away, tear out"), from re- ("back") + vellere ("to pull, tear"). Unlike "aversion," which implies a settled, habitual dislike, or "repulsion," which can describe a mere physical force, revulsion is the violent inward wrenching—a visceral recoil of the entire being. It is the stomach knotting at the scent of spoiled meat, the hand jerking back from something wet and alive in the dark, the soul shuddering upon witnessing profound cruelty—the body's primitive wisdom, a desperate attempt to tear itself away from contamination.
Etymology
Partly from Middle French révulsion and partly from Latin revulsiō.
noun
- Abhorrence, a sense of loathing, intense aversion, repugnance, repulsion, horror.
- A sudden violent feeling of disgust.
- The treatment of one diseased area by acting elsewhere; counterirritation.
- A strong pulling or drawing back; withdrawal.“To run on in deſpight of the Revulſions and Pul-backs of ſuch Remora’s aggravates our tranſgreſſions.”
- A sudden reaction; a sudden and complete change of the feelings.“We resolve, and our resolutions melt away with a word and a look: we are the toys of an emotion. And yet I think Norbourne was right in his sudden revulsion in favour of his uncle. We are rarely wrong when we act from impulse.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- loathsomeness 89% match — The nature or property that gives rise to revulsion or inspires loathing. vs revulsion →
- loathe 89% match — To detest, hate, or revile (someone or something). vs revulsion →
- abomination 89% match — An abominable act; a disgusting vice; a despicable habit. vs revulsion →
- abominate 89% match — Abominable; detested. vs revulsion →
- detestation 88% match — Hate coupled with disgust; abhorrence. vs revulsion →
- repugnancy 87% match — The quality of being repugnant: offensiveness, repulsion. vs revulsion →
- antipathy 87% match — Often followed by against, between, for, or to: a (deep) feeling of dislike or repugnance, normally towards a person and less often towards a thing, often without any conscious reasoning; aversion, distaste, hostility; (countable) an instance of this. vs revulsion →
- recoil 86% match — A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking. vs revulsion →