Repugnance is a strong feeling of disgust or aversion toward something perceived as offensive or repulsive. It often combines moral or aesthetic outrage with a physiological reaction, such as nausea, and can influence judgments and behavior in social or ethical contexts. The term conveys intensity beyond mere dislike, signaling deep, visceral opposition.
"Her repugnance at the sight of garbage was unmistakable as she shielded her nose."
"The committee expressed repugnance at the proposal, citing ethical and legal concerns."
"In literature, the heroine’s repugnance toward deceit drives her to expose the villain."
"The scientist spoke with repugnance about the unethical experiments described in the report."
Repugnance stems from the late Middle English repugnant, borrowed from Old French repugnant, with roots in Latin repugnans ‘fighting back, resisting,’ from repugnare ‘to fight against,’ from re- ‘back’ + pugnare ‘to fight.’ The form repugnance began to appear in English around the 16th century, preserving the sense of resistance or opposition to something perceived as morally or aesthetically offensive. The noun consolidates the abstract, internal reaction of repugnance from the adjective repugnant, which shares the same Latin root and was borrowed into English via French. Over time, repugnance broadened from a primarily moral or ethical aversion to include strong physical or visceral disgust in both everyday and literary contexts. First known uses appear in the works of Early Modern English writers who described strong moral revulsion and strong emotional opposition. In contemporary usage, repugnance is common in discussions of ethics, policy, or deeply uncomfortable situations, often coupled with adjectives like moral, palpable, or visceral to emphasize intensity.
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Words that rhyme with "Repugnance"
-nce sounds
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Repugnance is pronounced rɪ-ˈpəg-nəns. The primary stress falls on the second syllable (pug) with a secondary emphasis on the first syllable in slower speech. Break it into four sounds: rih-PUG-nuhns, with the 'g' pronounced as a hard /g/ like 'go' and the final /ns/ cluster as in 'sense.' For audio reference, you can compare to common dictionaries’ pronunciations: /rɪˈpʌɡ.nəns/ (US) or /rɪˈpʌɡ.nɒns/ (UK). Note that some accents may reduce the second vowel slightly toward a schwa.
Common errors include misplacing the primary stress (thinking it’s on the first syllable), mispronouncing the middle syllable as /ˈpjuː/ or over-pronouncing the /ɡ/ as a voiced velar fricative. Another frequent issue is merging the second and third syllables too quickly, producing rɪ-ɪ-ˈpəɡ.nəns. Correct by clearly articulating /pə/ versus /pə/ and keeping the /ɡ/ hard, then finishing with /nəns/.
US: /rɪˈpʌɡ.nəns/ with rhotic /r/ and a clear /ʌ/ in the second syllable. UK: /rɪˈpʌɡ.nɒns/ with non-rhotic /r/ (often not pronounced), and /ɒ/ in the final stressed syllable, slightly shorter. AU: /riːˈpʌɡ.næns/ or /riːˈpäɡ.nəns/ depending on speaker, often lengthening the first vowel in an Australian accent and maintaining a clear /æ/ or /ə/ in final syllable. Across accents, the key differences are rhoticity, vowel quality (ʌ vs ɒ vs æ/ə), and final syllable length.
The difficulty lies in the multi-syllabic rhythm and the cluster /pəɡ.n/ where the transition from /p/ to /ɡ/ happens quickly, requiring precise voicing and timing. The mid vowels in 're-' and '-u-' lands create a subtle contrast (rə vs rɪ). Also, the final liaison -nce becomes -ns, which can be tricky for learners who overcompensate vowels. Practice slow repeats to stabilize the four-syllable flow: re-pug-nance.
Repugnance is fully phonetic for English learners: no silent letters. Each syllable carries a sound: re- (ri), pung (pʌɡ), -nance (nəns). The writing 'gn' is a typical cluster with the /ɡ/ immediately after the vowel sound; it is not silent, it supports the hard /g/ sound. You should articulate /ɡ/ clearly to avoid mispronouncing it as /d/ or /t/.
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