/ɹiˈpʌlst/
Say it backRepulsed means feeling intense distaste or aversion, typically accompanied by a physical reaction or recoil. It describes a strong emotional response that makes someone turn away or recoil, often in reaction to something perceived as offensive, dirty, or shocking. The term implies a visceral, almost reflexive repugnance that affects demeanor and facial expression in social or perceptual contexts.
"She was repulsed by the sight of the moldy food and left the kitchen."
"Many spectators were repulsed by the brutal scene and whispered in disbelief."
"The crowd grew repulsed as the politician’s claims collapsed under scrutiny."
Repulsed is pronounced with the primary stress on the second syllable: /rɪˈpʌlst/. Start with /rɪ/ as in rich, then glide into /ˈpʌlst/ where /Ɍ/ is a quick, curled r, /p/ is a firm bilabial stop, /ʌ/ is an open-mid back unrounded vowel (as in 'strut'), /l/ is light, and the final /st/ combines /s/ and a crisp /t/. Focus on the short, clipped /t/ at the end so it lands as a clear 't' rather than a soft d.
Common mistakes include misplacing the stress, saying /riˈpulsd/ with a voiced final, or linking to an unintended vowel. Another error is pronouncing the final as /d/ instead of the voiceless /t/, giving /riˈpʌlzd/. Some speakers also mispronounce the vowel as /ə/ or /ʌ/ in the first syllable, producing /rəˈpʌlst/ or /riˈpəlst/. To fix: keep primary stress on the second syllable, finish with a crisp /t/ after /s/, and ensure the vowel in the first syllable is the short /ɪ/ sound.
US/UK/AU all share /rɪˈpʌlst/, but rhoticity affects initial r. US and AU typically maintain the /r/ sound at the start; UK is non-rhotic in many accents but this initial /r/ is still pronounced in most educated speech, especially before vowels. The /ɪ/ can be a bit closer to /i/ in some British accents, and vowel length can subtly differ (short /ɪ/ vs. /ɪ/ in unstressed syllables). The final /t/ may be unreleased in some UK varieties, producing a softer ending.
The difficulty lies in the rapid transition from the unstressed /ɪ/ to the stressed /ɪ/ or /ʌ/ in the second syllable and the quick, crisp /t/ after /s/ in many dialects. The cluster /pl/ in the middle requires precise articulation to avoid sounding like /pɒlst/ or /pʌlzd/. Additionally, the final t can be unreleased, making it sound like an ending without a hard consonant. Concentrate on the /ˈpʌlst/ portion and avoid clinging to preceding vowels.
A unique facet is that the ending -ed often does not fully voice the final consonant; many speakers produce a short, aspirated /t/ that lands crisply, producing /rɪˈpʌlst/. The main nuance is the secondary stress typically falls on the second syllable as a closed syllable with a strong /p/ onset: rep-ULSED. Keeping the /s/ clearly before the final /t/ helps avoid mispronunciations like /riˈpælst/ or /ˈriːpʌlst/.
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Repulsed comes from the verb repulse, formed from the prefix re- meaning “back” or “again” and the Latin word pulsus, from pellere meaning “to drive, push.” The middle English repulsen, borrowed from Old French repulser, carried the sense of driving back or repelling. In modern usage, repulse (to drive back, reject) evolved into an adjective describing someone who is driven away or disgusted. First attested senses involving physical force to push back appear in the late 15th century, but the sense of emotional or moral aversion developed in the 17th-18th centuries as psychological terms broadened. The past participle repulsed emerged as a descriptor of a feeling state, commonly used in literature and medical writings, and later in everyday language to convey a strong, instantaneous reaction to stimuli considered unpalatable or offensive. The word’s trajectory mirrors the shift from physical to emotional repulsion across centuries, aligning with terms like repellent and repulsion that share the Latin root pulsus/pellere meaning “to push” or “drive away.”
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Words that rhyme with "repulsed"
-ted sounds
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